The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it.
-African proverb
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Before you speak.....
Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence?
-Sai Baba
-Sai Baba
Lil' Sis wins BIG award ......
Lil' Sis, with Kaitlyn...
Posted by me. Please, click on image to enlarge.
Yelp, Marilyn won a BIG woodie last week from her place of employment for the last oh, 20, 30, plus years of work! The Center for Veterinary Sciences held their Annual Awards Banquet April 8, 2005. Marilyn Kay won the Stratton Staff Award which involves money and award. The award is named after Dr. Louie Stratton, one of the vets who were among the first to come to our dairy when we moved to Stillwater, and he was a life long friend. Just wanted all to know... and yelp, we are all proud of her and her many accomplishments!
Went to Great Grandma's yesterday morning to see about a few things, and she happened to be in a picture taking mood, so we took a few of her and the beautiful bibs that she is making for Madison and Kaitlyn. They are really neat and you can tell how proud she is by the wonder work in the pieces. She is really a wonderful seamstress, and is finally getting a chance to show off her skills. She has made several baby quilts too... and Christmas stockings.. love her work, and NO there is no bias here, just cuz I am her son, does not mean a thing.. haha... enjoy the day. Of course, I took many photos.. so I will post later. Some of them are of Wheat on the east side of our farm where Marilyn lives. It is the last field we have in wheat.
Posted by PCCPA; Please, click on image to enlarge.
Uncle Ivan sent along this ditty..
Just in case you are wondering... Ann and I laughed so hard we cried over this... Uncle Ivan out did himself on this deal!! I am sure there are times when Grandmothers react strangely but .... hahaha this ditty is Why grandmothers should not baby sit!
Welcome - Our Moffat Family Blog
Heather sends along this note with... a link to click if you want to see how she feels, with Madison Ann's arrival not too far away, plus job and home and son and husband and goats and hahaha..... Heather is StReSSeD OuT!!! click on pig..
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Today's quote...
Today's Quote
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Aunt Thelma Wiseman, Grandpa Shaklee's sister sent this note along about Pete...
Stan I haven't forgotten, but I do have some excuses. Ha Pete has had
pneumonia and was in the hospital for 2 weeks , he is feeling much
better, going to the Mall to see his buddies this morning. Every
morning they have their coffee and gossip, or talk which he says. Ha.
A customer asked me to crochet her 50 scrubbers by the 12 of April, well
I had to get on the ball and get them made, but I beat the deadline, and
she has already picked them up. They don't order just 2 or 4 anymore, it
is 50 or a hundred, then it gets me on the ball. I can't seem to get
any ahead. I love to make them and keeps me out of trouble.
pneumonia and was in the hospital for 2 weeks , he is feeling much
better, going to the Mall to see his buddies this morning. Every
morning they have their coffee and gossip, or talk which he says. Ha.
A customer asked me to crochet her 50 scrubbers by the 12 of April, well
I had to get on the ball and get them made, but I beat the deadline, and
she has already picked them up. They don't order just 2 or 4 anymore, it
is 50 or a hundred, then it gets me on the ball. I can't seem to get
any ahead. I love to make them and keeps me out of trouble.
Another goodie from Uncle Ivan...
THIS SHOULD RATTLE YOUR BRAINS A LITTLE
If you ever feel stupid, then just read on. If you've learned to speak fluent English, you must be a genius! This little treatise on the lovely language we share is only for the brave. Peruse at your leisure, English lovers. Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France.
Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?
Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise ! man and a wise guy are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
P.S. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"?
If you ever feel stupid, then just read on. If you've learned to speak fluent English, you must be a genius! This little treatise on the lovely language we share is only for the brave. Peruse at your leisure, English lovers. Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France.
Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?
Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise ! man and a wise guy are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
P.S. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"?
From Uncle Ivan...
CHALK ONE UP FOR THE OLD DUDE
An older, white haired man walked into a jewelry store one Friday
evening with a beautiful young gal at his side.
He told the jeweler he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend.
The jeweler looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring and showed it to him.
The old man said,
"I don't think you understand, I want something very special."
At that statement, the jeweler went to his special stock and brought another ring over.
"Here's a stunning ring at only $40,000," the jeweler said.
The young lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled
with excitement. The old man seeing this said,
"We'll take it."
The jeweler asked how payment would be made and the old man stated, by check.
" I know you need to make sure my check is good, so I'll write it now and you can call the bank Monday to verify the funds and I'll pick the ring up Monday afternoon," he said.
Monday morning, a very teed-off jeweler phoned the old man.
"There's no money in that account."
"I know", said the old man,
"but can you imagine the weekend I had?"
An older, white haired man walked into a jewelry store one Friday
evening with a beautiful young gal at his side.
He told the jeweler he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend.
The jeweler looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring and showed it to him.
The old man said,
"I don't think you understand, I want something very special."
At that statement, the jeweler went to his special stock and brought another ring over.
"Here's a stunning ring at only $40,000," the jeweler said.
The young lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled
with excitement. The old man seeing this said,
"We'll take it."
The jeweler asked how payment would be made and the old man stated, by check.
" I know you need to make sure my check is good, so I'll write it now and you can call the bank Monday to verify the funds and I'll pick the ring up Monday afternoon," he said.
Monday morning, a very teed-off jeweler phoned the old man.
"There's no money in that account."
"I know", said the old man,
"but can you imagine the weekend I had?"
Sunday, April 10, 2005
The curious paradox ....
The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.
-Carl Rogers
-Carl Rogers
Saturday, April 09, 2005
From Randi Moffat.. enjoy...
Two tall trees, a birch and a beech, are growing in the woods. A small tree begins to grow between them, and the beech says to the birch, "Is that a son of a beech or a son of a birch?" The birch says he cannot tell. Just then a woodpecker lands on the sapling. The birch says, "Woodpecker, you are a tree expert. Can you tell if that is a son of a beech or a son of a birch?"
The woodpecker takes a taste of the small tree. He replies, "It is neither a son of a beech nor a son of a birch. It is, however, the best piece of ash I have ever put my pecker in."
Wipe that smile off your face!
The woodpecker takes a taste of the small tree. He replies, "It is neither a son of a beech nor a son of a birch. It is, however, the best piece of ash I have ever put my pecker in."
Wipe that smile off your face!
Creativity is....
Today's Quote
Creativity is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God.
-Bob Moawad
Creativity is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God.
-Bob Moawad
Did ya see??? click the pic to go to the rest!!Friday, April 08, 2005
From Clinton and Joanna comes this dittie..
Subject: This is so worth reading!
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids?
If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!"
You're never thirty-six and A half. You're four and a half, going on five!
That's the key.
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!
And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21.
YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! . He TURNED; we had to throw him out.
There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40.
Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime.
And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay " them " .
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,
improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity!
Thought youall would enjoy reading this. jfw
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids?
If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!"
You're never thirty-six and A half. You're four and a half, going on five!
That's the key.
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!
And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21.
YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! . He TURNED; we had to throw him out.
There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40.
Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime.
And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay " them " .
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,
improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity!
Thought youall would enjoy reading this. jfw
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Today....
Not much new going on here. It is starting to get really dry, and the ole ground is cracking. We truly need a good soaking of rain. It only sprinkled the last 4 times it was supposed to rain, and Grandpa Moffat always said... "If we miss rain three times in a row, we are in for a long spell of dry weather". I sure hope for the sake of the cattle and grass, that this time, his saying will not be right, haha!
Heather is having a lot of backaches... Madison Ann is getting closer to arriving. The Doctor told her Madison is now head first and fixed and awaiting ... so we are now down to weeks before her arrival. Remembering my experiences, not sure Paul is aware he and Heather's life is about to change ... big time! And I love him to death. Not griping, but just thinking... I would say that about any of my boys too... Just a guy thing, guess it's cause we don't carry the child, probably, but there is something about seeing, holding, touching, the child at birth that kicks in that instinct and brings it home. Oh, yea, we think we know, we think we are ready, we think we are on the same plain as our wives, but... only when the child arrives... haha... sorry ladies... just how God made us!!
Haven't heard much from Phil, but I bet he is gardening, and making pottery, and routing semi's!
Jonathan and Randy were working on their yard last weekend, weeding and feeding, and getting ready for summer. He seems to stay really busy with work and home and Kaitlyn, too. But then Jon does his best work under pressure!
Tammy is getting ready for summer and all the things she needs to do. Also, trying to find a place for Austyn to be in school this summer. Is he really going to be 5 this December, wow.. .... ..
Paul is playing in summer league baseball with the Stillwater Police Dept's team. He is enjoying it. First time since he joined the force that he has not been on nights, therefore, now, being on the day shift, he can enjoy this. Heather and Andrew have been attending the games while she can, and of course, Andrew has met a friend his age there and enjoys playing with him while his daddy plays ball. The games are only one hour long, since there are so many teams and so few places to play in Stillwater.
Randi has been taking care of Kaitlyn and their home. She is a really good mom and truly enjoys taking care of Kaitlyn. They make a great pair and you can really tell they "get along" when visiting too. Kaitlyn does not what to leave her mom's arms, and if she does, and gets in a bind in some way, only mom can fix it.. and that's ok, cuz that's what mom's do best!!
Jake attended a Crawfish Boil held at his work place, the OSU Vet. Teaching Hospital on campus of OSU yesterday. The Boil was put on by Science Diet for the students, faculty and staff, and I heard there were scores of folks there and lots of food, not just Crawfish, but other things as well. Jake loves New Orleans...
All I know for now... Enjoy the day!
Heather is having a lot of backaches... Madison Ann is getting closer to arriving. The Doctor told her Madison is now head first and fixed and awaiting ... so we are now down to weeks before her arrival. Remembering my experiences, not sure Paul is aware he and Heather's life is about to change ... big time! And I love him to death. Not griping, but just thinking... I would say that about any of my boys too... Just a guy thing, guess it's cause we don't carry the child, probably, but there is something about seeing, holding, touching, the child at birth that kicks in that instinct and brings it home. Oh, yea, we think we know, we think we are ready, we think we are on the same plain as our wives, but... only when the child arrives... haha... sorry ladies... just how God made us!!
Haven't heard much from Phil, but I bet he is gardening, and making pottery, and routing semi's!
Jonathan and Randy were working on their yard last weekend, weeding and feeding, and getting ready for summer. He seems to stay really busy with work and home and Kaitlyn, too. But then Jon does his best work under pressure!
Tammy is getting ready for summer and all the things she needs to do. Also, trying to find a place for Austyn to be in school this summer. Is he really going to be 5 this December, wow.. .... ..
Paul is playing in summer league baseball with the Stillwater Police Dept's team. He is enjoying it. First time since he joined the force that he has not been on nights, therefore, now, being on the day shift, he can enjoy this. Heather and Andrew have been attending the games while she can, and of course, Andrew has met a friend his age there and enjoys playing with him while his daddy plays ball. The games are only one hour long, since there are so many teams and so few places to play in Stillwater.
Randi has been taking care of Kaitlyn and their home. She is a really good mom and truly enjoys taking care of Kaitlyn. They make a great pair and you can really tell they "get along" when visiting too. Kaitlyn does not what to leave her mom's arms, and if she does, and gets in a bind in some way, only mom can fix it.. and that's ok, cuz that's what mom's do best!!
Jake attended a Crawfish Boil held at his work place, the OSU Vet. Teaching Hospital on campus of OSU yesterday. The Boil was put on by Science Diet for the students, faculty and staff, and I heard there were scores of folks there and lots of food, not just Crawfish, but other things as well. Jake loves New Orleans...
All I know for now... Enjoy the day!
Pear Tree Photos...
posted a few pics of the pear tree in front of home from a few days ago... enjoy!
Editorial: Baylor Lady Bears make Texas proud
04-06-2005 Editorial: Baylor Lady Bears make Texas proud
There´s much joy at Washington-on-the-Brazos today.
The Baylor Lady Bears are champions of the women´s basketball world after a resounding 84-62 victory over Michigan State on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
The 22-point victory is the second-highest winning margin in an NCAA championship game after Tennessee´s 23-point win over Louisiana Tech in 1987. Baylor is only the fourth team (the third women´s team) to ever beat three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament en route to the title.
Baylor had expected to meet perennial powerhouse Tennessee in the finals - well, actually, most folks thought No. 1 LSU would play the Lady Vols for the title - but Michigan State rallied from 16 down to stun the Rocky Toppers after Baylor came from 15 back to upset LSU.
There would be no rallying Tuesday night as Baylor got the big Michiganders down early and never let them up.
The Lady Bears finished the season with a sparkling 33-3 record including three wins over Texas Tech, the last one on a last-second shot in the Big 12 Tournament finals.
It was an extra sweet victory for the fiery and fiesty Baylor coach, Kim Mulkey-Robertson (oddly enough, smartly outfitted in a blue pant suit of a color befitting North Carolina State - but we won´t nitpick).
The former Louisiana Tech star became the first woman to ever play for a national champion and coach one was well, joining former North Carolina coach Dean Smith (he played at UNC as well) and Texas Tech´s Bobby Knight (he played for the 1960 champs at Ohio State and coached Indiana to three titles) in an elite group.
It was sweeter, still, in that Louisiana Tech somewhat insultingly offered her only a one-year contract to succeed Hall of Famer Leon Barmore as head coach five years ago. Coincidentally, former Louisiana Tech head coach Sonja Hogg once coached at Baylor.
After leading Hammond, La. to four state titles, Mrs. Mulkey-Robertson played for Louisiana Tech and was a 5-4 sophomore on the 1981 team that beat Kansas, 70-39 for the championship of the Plainview Queens Classic.
During her 19 years at Louisiana Tech, the team went to the Final Four 11 times and won three national titles, two while she was playing. She also was a summa cum laude graduate and two time Academic All-American who, not surprisingly, demands the very best from her players.
She has coached Baylor to a sparkling 131-38 record in five years.
The mother of two is married to a former Louisiana Tech quarterback.
After the men´s basketball scandal (including one player killing another) at Baylor and its football team falling on hard times, the achievement Tuesday night brings a much-neeed morale boost to the Waco institution.
We salute the Baylor Lady Bears for putting another jewel in the crown of the Lone Star State. Posted to MyPlainview: APRIL 06, 2005 14:59 CST
There´s much joy at Washington-on-the-Brazos today. The Baylor Lady Bears are champions of the women´s basketball world after a resounding 84-62 . . . From The Plainview Daily Herald
Ed's Note.. last time I will post on this.. sorry, but this coach amazes me!!
There´s much joy at Washington-on-the-Brazos today.
The Baylor Lady Bears are champions of the women´s basketball world after a resounding 84-62 victory over Michigan State on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
The 22-point victory is the second-highest winning margin in an NCAA championship game after Tennessee´s 23-point win over Louisiana Tech in 1987. Baylor is only the fourth team (the third women´s team) to ever beat three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament en route to the title.
Baylor had expected to meet perennial powerhouse Tennessee in the finals - well, actually, most folks thought No. 1 LSU would play the Lady Vols for the title - but Michigan State rallied from 16 down to stun the Rocky Toppers after Baylor came from 15 back to upset LSU.
There would be no rallying Tuesday night as Baylor got the big Michiganders down early and never let them up.
The Lady Bears finished the season with a sparkling 33-3 record including three wins over Texas Tech, the last one on a last-second shot in the Big 12 Tournament finals.
It was an extra sweet victory for the fiery and fiesty Baylor coach, Kim Mulkey-Robertson (oddly enough, smartly outfitted in a blue pant suit of a color befitting North Carolina State - but we won´t nitpick).
The former Louisiana Tech star became the first woman to ever play for a national champion and coach one was well, joining former North Carolina coach Dean Smith (he played at UNC as well) and Texas Tech´s Bobby Knight (he played for the 1960 champs at Ohio State and coached Indiana to three titles) in an elite group.
It was sweeter, still, in that Louisiana Tech somewhat insultingly offered her only a one-year contract to succeed Hall of Famer Leon Barmore as head coach five years ago. Coincidentally, former Louisiana Tech head coach Sonja Hogg once coached at Baylor.
After leading Hammond, La. to four state titles, Mrs. Mulkey-Robertson played for Louisiana Tech and was a 5-4 sophomore on the 1981 team that beat Kansas, 70-39 for the championship of the Plainview Queens Classic.
During her 19 years at Louisiana Tech, the team went to the Final Four 11 times and won three national titles, two while she was playing. She also was a summa cum laude graduate and two time Academic All-American who, not surprisingly, demands the very best from her players.
She has coached Baylor to a sparkling 131-38 record in five years.
The mother of two is married to a former Louisiana Tech quarterback.
After the men´s basketball scandal (including one player killing another) at Baylor and its football team falling on hard times, the achievement Tuesday night brings a much-neeed morale boost to the Waco institution.
We salute the Baylor Lady Bears for putting another jewel in the crown of the Lone Star State. Posted to MyPlainview: APRIL 06, 2005 14:59 CST
There´s much joy at Washington-on-the-Brazos today. The Baylor Lady Bears are champions of the women´s basketball world after a resounding 84-62 . . . From The Plainview Daily Herald
Ed's Note.. last time I will post on this.. sorry, but this coach amazes me!!
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson and the Lady Bears of Baylor... very impressive win and are todays honored National Champions!
KMR is first woman to win titles as player, coachINDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Baylor now has a basketball team it can celebrate. And what a celebration it was.
Baylor's Sophia Young hung on in the paint, and got to hang on to some NCAA title hardware, too.
The Lady Bears hugged, flopped on the floor in giddy delight and embraced their coach as a rainbow of neon-colored confetti rained down on the RCA Dome.
All they had wanted was to be a shining light for a university stained by scandal.
One dazzling national championship ought to do.
Sophia Young's 26 points, Emily Niemann's precise 3-point shooting and the brilliant, energetic play of the backcourt carried Baylor to an 84-62 victory over Michigan State on Tuesday night for the school's first NCAA title by a women's team.
"What a team I get to coach!" coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson said. "It wasn't the coaching, it's these guys taking me for a tremendous ride."
And it was a fast one.
Five years after Mulkey-Robertson took over a team that went 7-20 and was last in the Big 12, the Lady Bears were pulling on championship hats after a run through the tournament that included three victories over No. 1 seeds -- North Carolina, LSU and finally the Spartans.
Both teams were playing in the finals for the first time. The margin was the second-largest in a championship game, falling one point short of the record set in 1987 when Tennessee beat Louisiana Tech 67-44.
When the horn sounded Tuesday night, the players jumped in unison amid the streamers and screamed "We won! We won!" as fans chanted "Mul-key! Mul-key!" -- a tribute to a coach who had taken the program to heights never before imagined.
Lowest preseason rankings for eventual national champs
1992-93 Texas Tech 15
1993-94 North Carolina 9
2004-05 Baylor 8
1991-92 Stanford 7
1995-96 Tennessee 6
1990-91 Tennessee 6
1978-79 Old Dominion 6
* Michigan State was No. 15
"She doesn't accept anything but the best from her players," Baylor's Steffanie Blackmon said. "She's just hard on you, but it pays off, 'cause hey, we're here and we won the big thing right now."
They did it with unforgiving defense that disrupted almost everything Michigan State tried and by poking enough holes in the Spartans' matchup zone to stay comfortably ahead after zooming to a 19-point lead in the first half. Niemann keyed the arly surge and finished the first half with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from behind the 3-point line; she finished with 19.
"I think (Niemann) was the whole key to this game," Michigan State coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "If you take 51 off the floor, it was a different game. She was definitely the X-factor."
Not that the Lady Bears were resting easy after that. Knowing that Michigan State had rallied from 16 down to beat Tennessee two nights before, Baylor kept attacking, making steals and scrambling for loose balls.
The Lady Bears' killer instinct was a perfect reflection of their feisty coach, who practically glowed in a bold aqua blue pantsuit as she stormed back and forth in front of the bench, calling plays, pleading for calls from the officials and cajoling her players to keep pressing -- even with a 20-point lead.
They responded.
Michigan State men's coach Tom Izzo, whose squad lost in the Final Four, made the trip to Indy, only to see the Spartan women fall short, too.
Young was unstoppable in the second half, scoring 18 points. The 6-foot-1 junior, who came to the United States from the West Indies at age 15 and had never played basketball before that, was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four.
"Well, all those moments all just paid off right now," Young said. "This is what I came here for and I'm living my dream."
Young went 10-for-19 from the field, grabbed nine rebounds and had four assists. Blackmon helped out with 14 points in the second half to finish with 22.
The victory completed an unprecedented double for Mulkey-Robertson, who became the first in the women's game to play for a national championship team and then coach one. She was the starting point guard when Louisiana Tech won the first NCAA title in 1982 and later became an assistant coach at Tech, spending 15 years there before taking the Baylor job in 2000.
The Lady Bears (33-3) finished the season with 20 straight victories and helped erase an ugly stain on the university, which was rocked two years ago by a scandal in the men's basketball program that was uncovered after a former player was accused of killing a teammate.
"Look up at these fans," Mulkey-Robertson said. "That's how we changed the Waco community. We're a positive in Waco and at Baylor University. There's a lot of good there, there's great programs, great coaches, and this is one of many more to come."
Michigan State (33-4) had reached the title game with unselfish play that epitomized team basketball. But guards Kristin Haynie and Lindsay Bowen had to do it almost by themselves in this one -- and that was asking too much.
Bowen scored 20 points and Haynie 17, but Baylor negated Michigan State's two powerful inside players. Kelli Roehrig scored only eight points and Liz Shimek had seven. Baylor also owned the boards, outrebounding Michigan State 45-22.
"There was a lack in the post area," Roehrig said. "We really didn't hold our own."
Baylor led by 12 at halftime after blunting a mini-rally by the Spartans at the end of the half. Michigan State hung around for a while early in the second half, giving the Spartan fans -- who included men's coach Tom Izzo and football coach John L. Smith -- hope that another big comeback was possible.
Teams that beat three No. 1 seeds en route to national title
2005 Baylor women (Michigan State, LSU, North Carolina)
1997 Arizona men
1988 Louisiana Tech women
1987 Tennessee women
Not this time.
Baylor kept getting the ball to Young and Blackmon for baskets, while guards Chameka Scott and Latoya Wyatt kept harassing Haynie and Bowen. With under seven minutes to play, the lead had grown to 22. Even the Spartans had to feel they were finished by then.
Wyatt, a reserve who played only two minutes in Baylor's semifinal win over LSU, also contributed eight points and six rebounds. Scott added seven points, four rebounds and three assists.
When it was over, McCallie, who engineered a five-year turnaround of her own, managed a bright smile as she shook hands with Mulkey-Robertson, knowing the Spartans had lost to a superior team.
"They're hurting a lot right now, as we all are because the season's over, and it's just a funny feeling to have it be over," McCallie said. "But in the long run, they're going to look back and realize that they were part of the greatest team ever at Michigan State and one of the greatest teams ever."
Baylor frustrated the normally efficient Spartans from the start with its sticky man-to-man defense. The Lady Bears tipped passes, contested shots and often had Michigan State desperately seeking a good look at the basket with the shot clock winding down.
At the other end, the Spartans couldn't find Niemann and she made them pay. Her first two 3s gave Baylor a lead it would never relinquish and her four baskets from long range made it 32-13. Bowen and Haynie then led a 12-run that pulled Michigan State to 34-25.
The momentum was swinging the Spartans' way and then Niemann doused it with an NBA-range 3 from the left side with eight seconds remaining to take the lead back to 12.
It was more of the same after that. Baylor never stopped until it was time to celebrate.
Final
Baylor 84
Michigan State 62
__________________________ Ann turned me onto ladies Bball... she said it's faster, and more agressive.. and she is right, wow.. that's were the basketball the guys played when I was young went, to the ladies.. and they do it and do it well! Coach Kim just makes you proud of yourself, even watching the Ladies Bears in action, and seeing her react, was like .. unbeleivable. Her and Bob Stoops, two wonderful people who are inspiring our kiddos to greatness! It takes a champion to build one, and Coach Kim proved that! She was on the National Championship team of past years, and now has coached a National Championship team. And she is, as is Coach Stoops inspiring just to watch them carry themselves and work the players... and when they talk... they talk intelligently, words full of meaning, chosen just right, to inspire...
Ok.. done...! I was simply blown away by the Lady Bears of Baylor! Now the Big 12 Conference has a National Champion in it's midst for the first time ever in Basketball!! I am still out of breath from watching the game last night!!
Today's Quote
Today's Quote
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
-Dalai Lama
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
-Dalai Lama
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Today's Quote
Today's Quote
We are not here to be successful. We are here to be faithful.
-Mother Teresa
We are not here to be successful. We are here to be faithful.
-Mother Teresa
Monday, April 04, 2005
Uncle Ivan sent this along, but it sure fits for a lot of us!!
Uncle Ivan sent this along with a note attached...... "Loving flowers, I am now turning into a snap dragon, my back has snapped and my tail is dragging!" .... and I understand!!
Posted by PCCPA; Please, click on image to enlarge.
Ok.. this one will work right I think. Click on the photo to make it larger!! Andrew and Austyn came over to visit this weekend and we had a blast! Austyn is really growing up, and can play for hours.. well, so can Andrew, haha!! Austyn had figured out Grandma's spinning wheel and how to make it go fast and then he had a belt he could pull against the wheel and stop it... kinda cool we thought. On Sunday the new sherriff in town dropped by. Sherriff Andrew Paul Blankinship that is. He was shooting Grandma's ducks in her boat on the wall, and then he thought he ought to walk around in Jake's boots, haha, well, he has big feet, but not quite that big! Anyway, photos online now.. videos later as I get time! enjoy! oh yes, one of the pics has Andrew and his mom and his new sister Madison who will be here in a month or so.. too...
Posted by PCCPA; Please, click on image to enlarge.
New photos of grandsons online...
Not sure this photo will work correctly if you want to make it big. Hope it does... There are new pictures of the grandson's at Grandma Moffat's playing from this past weekend... Will tell more later.. but right now this site is not working correctly.
A friend of mine was at Honor Heights Park in Muskogee
Aaron Moore was in Muskogee this weekend to photograph the Red Dirt Rangers Concert there for us (PCL), and took some nice shots of the foliage there... cool pics.. These photos were shot at Honor Heights Park in Muskogee... a really nice park on the west side of Muskogee and on tAwesome Blossom's by Aaron Moore, from Red Dirt Rangers in Honor Heights Park, Muskogee.... Enjoy these park photos...
Today's Quote
Today's Quote
Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.
-Bill Gates
Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.
-Bill Gates
Sunday, April 03, 2005
From Uncle Ivan comes another gem.... THE MAMMOGRAM ......
THE MAMMOGRAM ......
I actually kept my mammogram appointment. I was met with, "Hi! I'm
Belinda!" This perky clipboard carrier smiled from ear to ear, tilted
her head to one side and crooned, "All I need you to do is step into
this room right hereee, strip to the waist, thennnn slip on this gown.
Everything clearrrr?"
I'm thinking, "Belinda ... try decaf. This ain't rocket science."
Belinda skipped away to prepare the chamber of horrors. Call me crazy,
but I suspect a man invented this machine. It takes a perfectly healthy
cup size of 36-B to a size 38-LONG in less than 60 seconds. Also, girls
aren't made of sugar and spice and everything nice.it's Spandex. We can
be stretched, pulled and twisted over a cold 4-inch piece of square
glass and still pop back into shape.
With the right side finished, Belinda flipped me (literally) to the left
and said, "Hmmmm. Can you stand on your tippy toes and lean in a tad so
we can get everything?"
Fine, I answered. I was freezing, bruised, and out of air, so why not
use the remaining circulation in my legs and neck and finish me off?
My body was in a holding pattern that defied gravity (with my other boob
wedged between those two 4" pieces of square glass) when we heard, then
felt a zap! Complete darkness and the power went off!
"What?" I yelled.
"Oh, maintenance is working. Bet they hit a snag." Belinda headed for
the door.
"Excuse me! You're not leaving me in this vise alone, are you?" I
shouted.
Belinda kept going and said, "Oh, you fussy puppy ... the door's wide
open so you'll have the emergency hall lights.
I'll be righttttt backkkk."
Before I could shout "NOOOO!" she disappeared.
And that's exactly how Bubba and Earl, maintenance men extraordinaire,
found me, half-naked and part of me dangling from the Jaws of Life and
the other part smashed between glass!
After exchanging polite "Hi, how's it going" type greetings, Bubba (or
possibly Earl) asked, to my utter disbelief, if I knew the power was
off. Trying to disguise my hysteria, I replied with as much calmness as
possible. "Uh, yes .. yes I did, thanks."
"You bet, take care" Bubba replied and waved good-bye as though I'd been
standing in the line at the grocery store.
Two hours later, Belinda breezes in wearing a sheepish grin and making
no attempt to suppress her amusement, she said. "Oh I am soooo sorry!
The power came back on and I totally forgot about you! And silly me, I
went to lunch. Are we upset?"
And that, Your Honor, is exactly how her head ended up between the
clamps........
I actually kept my mammogram appointment. I was met with, "Hi! I'm
Belinda!" This perky clipboard carrier smiled from ear to ear, tilted
her head to one side and crooned, "All I need you to do is step into
this room right hereee, strip to the waist, thennnn slip on this gown.
Everything clearrrr?"
I'm thinking, "Belinda ... try decaf. This ain't rocket science."
Belinda skipped away to prepare the chamber of horrors. Call me crazy,
but I suspect a man invented this machine. It takes a perfectly healthy
cup size of 36-B to a size 38-LONG in less than 60 seconds. Also, girls
aren't made of sugar and spice and everything nice.it's Spandex. We can
be stretched, pulled and twisted over a cold 4-inch piece of square
glass and still pop back into shape.
With the right side finished, Belinda flipped me (literally) to the left
and said, "Hmmmm. Can you stand on your tippy toes and lean in a tad so
we can get everything?"
Fine, I answered. I was freezing, bruised, and out of air, so why not
use the remaining circulation in my legs and neck and finish me off?
My body was in a holding pattern that defied gravity (with my other boob
wedged between those two 4" pieces of square glass) when we heard, then
felt a zap! Complete darkness and the power went off!
"What?" I yelled.
"Oh, maintenance is working. Bet they hit a snag." Belinda headed for
the door.
"Excuse me! You're not leaving me in this vise alone, are you?" I
shouted.
Belinda kept going and said, "Oh, you fussy puppy ... the door's wide
open so you'll have the emergency hall lights.
I'll be righttttt backkkk."
Before I could shout "NOOOO!" she disappeared.
And that's exactly how Bubba and Earl, maintenance men extraordinaire,
found me, half-naked and part of me dangling from the Jaws of Life and
the other part smashed between glass!
After exchanging polite "Hi, how's it going" type greetings, Bubba (or
possibly Earl) asked, to my utter disbelief, if I knew the power was
off. Trying to disguise my hysteria, I replied with as much calmness as
possible. "Uh, yes .. yes I did, thanks."
"You bet, take care" Bubba replied and waved good-bye as though I'd been
standing in the line at the grocery store.
Two hours later, Belinda breezes in wearing a sheepish grin and making
no attempt to suppress her amusement, she said. "Oh I am soooo sorry!
The power came back on and I totally forgot about you! And silly me, I
went to lunch. Are we upset?"
And that, Your Honor, is exactly how her head ended up between the
clamps........
Ward and Melanie sent this lil' note along to us and it kind'a fit us too.. so we share...
The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know.
Old age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body- but I don't agonize over it for long.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read until 4 am, and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50's & 60ies, and if I at the same time wish to weep over a lost love, I will. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten and I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say "no", and mean it. I can say "yes", and mean it. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer the question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. For the first time in my life, I don't have to have a reason to do the things I want to do. If I want to play games on the computer all day, lay on the couch and watch old movies for hours or don't want to go to the beach or a movie, I have earned that right. I have put in my time doing everything for others, so now I can be a bit selfish without feeling guilty.
I sometimes feel sorry for the young. They face a far different world than I knew growing up, where we feared the law, respected the old, the flag, our country. I never felt the need to use filthy language in order to express myself. And they too will grow old someday.
I am grateful to have been born when I was, into a kinder, gentler world.
Yes, I like being old!
Old age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body- but I don't agonize over it for long.
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read until 4 am, and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50's & 60ies, and if I at the same time wish to weep over a lost love, I will. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten and I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say "no", and mean it. I can say "yes", and mean it. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer the question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. For the first time in my life, I don't have to have a reason to do the things I want to do. If I want to play games on the computer all day, lay on the couch and watch old movies for hours or don't want to go to the beach or a movie, I have earned that right. I have put in my time doing everything for others, so now I can be a bit selfish without feeling guilty.
I sometimes feel sorry for the young. They face a far different world than I knew growing up, where we feared the law, respected the old, the flag, our country. I never felt the need to use filthy language in order to express myself. And they too will grow old someday.
I am grateful to have been born when I was, into a kinder, gentler world.
Yes, I like being old!
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Austyn came over and stayed a bit today... he's growing up!!
Lookie who came to see us today! Austyn came over and stayed while Phil and Tammy went to the funeral of Carl Tarver, who was killed in the wreck early in the week. Phil reported it was the biggest funeral he had ever been to. But Austyn was wound up and was having a big ole time making Grandma's spinning wheel go fast! So wonderful to have the grandkids around! And another one is almost here! Heather is a month away from adding Madison Ann to the Blankinship lineup! We are all getting very excited about her arrival... needless to say... And then Jonathan called night before last and let Grandma Ann listen to one extermely wound up Kaitlyn jabber on and on.. how cool is that! Anyway.. enjoy the day, God is Awesome, things are going well, and all is good!!
Today's Quote
Today's Quote
There are victories of the soul and spirit. Sometimes, even if you lose, you win.
-Elie Wiesel
There are victories of the soul and spirit. Sometimes, even if you lose, you win.
-Elie Wiesel
Friday, April 01, 2005
Today's Quote
Today's Quote
The only way to find the limits of the possible is by going beyond them to the impossible.
-Arthur C. Clarke
The only way to find the limits of the possible is by going beyond them to the impossible.
-Arthur C. Clarke
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
from the tulsa world.. different take..
School bus, truck collide; 2 killed
By PATTI WEAVER World Correspondent
3/30/2005
View in Print (PDF) Format
CUSHING -- Two people -- one of them a student -- were killed Tuesday in a crash of a Ripley school bus and a truck pulling a stock trailer at Oklahoma 18 and Eseco Road, eight miles southwest of Cushing.
Another student aboard the bus and the bus driver were injured.
The truck driver, Carl Edward Tarver, 58, of Cushing, was killed in the crash and his passenger, Linda Tarver, 55, was injured, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol communications officer told The Associated Press
Ripley Elementary School Principal Lisa Pitts said that Sandra Combs, a 10th-grader who recently turned 16, was killed.
"Her dad, Carlos Combs, was driving into his driveway when he saw the bus spinning" on the highway less than a half-mile away from his home, Pitts said.
"It's sickening. It breaks your heart," Pitts said, fighting tears as she stood across from the Ripley school bus, with its front end demolished.
"We had nine kids on the bus -- a sixth-grader, junior high and high school students. This is the end of the route," Pitts said.
Parents arrived at the accident scene quickly, she said. "Kids passed around a cell phone and called their parents," she said.
Another girl, a 10th-grader, was also injured in the crash, Pitts said.
"She was taken to the Cushing hospital. She'll be all right. She's in fair condition," said Pitts, who did not release that girl's name.
"Both girls were in the front seat. Sandra was behind the driver; the other girl was on the other side," Pitts said.
Ripley School Superintendent Kenny Beams said that the bus driver, Jimmie Sue Blose, who teaches music in the elementary school and was driving a substitute route, "was hurt pretty bad."
Blose was flown by helicopter to St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, where she was in critical condition, Pitts said.
A witness, Eric Sams, 21, who works as a car fabricator at Wheels of Past Restoration directly across from the accident scene, said he had stepped outside at 4:03 p.m. for a smoke break when he heard "a loud screech."
"I heard a big boom, like a bomb. I ran for my boss, Dennis Francis, for help, to call 911.
"The truck loaded with cattle hit the front of the bus," which was going east on Eseco Road crossing Oklahoma 18, while the truck was traveling north on the highway, Sams said.
"The bus had stopped and went on," Sams said.
"The bus was taking off. The truck hit the front end of the bus. The bus spun completely around. The front axle of the bus bounced off, onto the road.
"The axle bounced, hitting the front of the bus," Sams said. "Four of us moved it, about 40 feet, out of the road."
He said he, his employer and co-workers, Michael Talent, 18, and Andy Johnson, 21, all worked together to move the about 500-pound axle.
"Four or five of the kids got out of the emergency exit of the bus. The bus driver looked slumped over in the seat.
"The girl who died was lying in the stairs of the bus. Her leg was caught under the bifold door.
"Michael and I jacked the bus up trying to get the door off her leg. Some men were yanking on the door," Sams said.
"It's the worst thing that ever happened that I've seen. It happened so fast."
Cushing Deputy Fire Chief Brent Kerr said, "This is one of the worst accidents we've had here in quite a while; a lot of people, a lot of chaos."
Neither Kerr nor Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Jerry Coyle would release the names of any of the victims.
Superintendent Beams said that Wednesday "will be a voluntary day" in which students would not be required to be in school.
Counselors will be there for students who attend classes Wednesday, he said.
By PATTI WEAVER World Correspondent
3/30/2005
View in Print (PDF) Format
CUSHING -- Two people -- one of them a student -- were killed Tuesday in a crash of a Ripley school bus and a truck pulling a stock trailer at Oklahoma 18 and Eseco Road, eight miles southwest of Cushing.
Another student aboard the bus and the bus driver were injured.
The truck driver, Carl Edward Tarver, 58, of Cushing, was killed in the crash and his passenger, Linda Tarver, 55, was injured, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol communications officer told The Associated Press
Ripley Elementary School Principal Lisa Pitts said that Sandra Combs, a 10th-grader who recently turned 16, was killed.
"Her dad, Carlos Combs, was driving into his driveway when he saw the bus spinning" on the highway less than a half-mile away from his home, Pitts said.
"It's sickening. It breaks your heart," Pitts said, fighting tears as she stood across from the Ripley school bus, with its front end demolished.
"We had nine kids on the bus -- a sixth-grader, junior high and high school students. This is the end of the route," Pitts said.
Parents arrived at the accident scene quickly, she said. "Kids passed around a cell phone and called their parents," she said.
Another girl, a 10th-grader, was also injured in the crash, Pitts said.
"She was taken to the Cushing hospital. She'll be all right. She's in fair condition," said Pitts, who did not release that girl's name.
"Both girls were in the front seat. Sandra was behind the driver; the other girl was on the other side," Pitts said.
Ripley School Superintendent Kenny Beams said that the bus driver, Jimmie Sue Blose, who teaches music in the elementary school and was driving a substitute route, "was hurt pretty bad."
Blose was flown by helicopter to St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, where she was in critical condition, Pitts said.
A witness, Eric Sams, 21, who works as a car fabricator at Wheels of Past Restoration directly across from the accident scene, said he had stepped outside at 4:03 p.m. for a smoke break when he heard "a loud screech."
"I heard a big boom, like a bomb. I ran for my boss, Dennis Francis, for help, to call 911.
"The truck loaded with cattle hit the front of the bus," which was going east on Eseco Road crossing Oklahoma 18, while the truck was traveling north on the highway, Sams said.
"The bus had stopped and went on," Sams said.
"The bus was taking off. The truck hit the front end of the bus. The bus spun completely around. The front axle of the bus bounced off, onto the road.
"The axle bounced, hitting the front of the bus," Sams said. "Four of us moved it, about 40 feet, out of the road."
He said he, his employer and co-workers, Michael Talent, 18, and Andy Johnson, 21, all worked together to move the about 500-pound axle.
"Four or five of the kids got out of the emergency exit of the bus. The bus driver looked slumped over in the seat.
"The girl who died was lying in the stairs of the bus. Her leg was caught under the bifold door.
"Michael and I jacked the bus up trying to get the door off her leg. Some men were yanking on the door," Sams said.
"It's the worst thing that ever happened that I've seen. It happened so fast."
Cushing Deputy Fire Chief Brent Kerr said, "This is one of the worst accidents we've had here in quite a while; a lot of people, a lot of chaos."
Neither Kerr nor Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Jerry Coyle would release the names of any of the victims.
Superintendent Beams said that Wednesday "will be a voluntary day" in which students would not be required to be in school.
Counselors will be there for students who attend classes Wednesday, he said.
Update on tragic wreck last night....
School bus crash victims identified
By The Associated Press
RIPLEY -- A school bus collided with a flatbed pickup truck near this small Payne County community, killing a 16-year-old Ripley High School girl and the driver of the truck and injuring at least two others, officials said.
Sandra Deann Combs, 16, of Agra, a passenger on the school bus, and Carl Edward Tarver, 57, of Cushing, were killed in the 4:05 p.m. crash on Tuesday, said Diann Warnock, a communications officer with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Combs was pinned for about 1 1/2 hours by jammed bus doors before Cushing firefighters were able to cut her free, troopers said. She suffered massive head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
Another passenger on the bus, Halli McKintire, sustained head and internal injuries and was taken to Cushing Regional Hospital in stable condition, the OHP said. Her hometown and age were not available.
The bus driver, Jimmie Sue Blose, 50, was flown by helicopter to St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, the patrol reported. Media relations coordinator Hether Haddox said Wednesday morning she could not release information on Blose.
Firefighters worked for about two hours to free Tarver from the wreckage of his truck, but he died of massive head injuries at the scene of the accident, the patrol said.
A passenger in Tarver's truck, Linda Lou Tarver, 54, sustained head and leg injuries and was taken to Cushing Regional Hospital before being transferred to Deaconess Hospital, the OHP said.
There were six other passengers on the bus but information about them, including names, ages and hometowns, wasn't immediately released.
The bus was eastbound on a county road when it failed to yield to the pickup, which was pulling a cattle trailer northbound on State Highway 18, Trooper Steve Burrows said in a report on the accident. The truck crashed into the bus on the front passenger side, Burrows said. (This means she ran the stop sign!!)
Eric Sams, an employee of an auto shop near the intersection where the crash occurred, witnessed the crash.
"The bus was spun completely around," Sams said. "The front axle of the bus bounced off onto the road and onto the bus."
The impact mangled the front end of the truck all the way up to the driver's side windshield and tore off the hood of the bus. Yellow debris from the bus and wheels were strewn about the area.
Ripley softball coach Tony Cazzelle said classes would be voluntary Wednesday and that counselors would be on hand to meet with students. "It's just a little town, and something like this touches everybody," Cazzelle said. "I know that everybody here knows everybody, and half of them are related."
Cazzelle was coaching the girls' softball team when he found out about the crash.
"We finished the game, and I told the girls after the game," he said. He said Combs "was a real good friend to several players. We all prayed..."
Students were encouraged to arrive about 9:30 or 10 a.m. Wednesday. Buses were not scheduled to operate, officials said.
The Ripley district has about 300 elementary pupils and 125 high school students.
The community is about 16 miles southeast of Stillwater and about eight miles northeast of Perkins.
By The Associated Press
RIPLEY -- A school bus collided with a flatbed pickup truck near this small Payne County community, killing a 16-year-old Ripley High School girl and the driver of the truck and injuring at least two others, officials said.
Sandra Deann Combs, 16, of Agra, a passenger on the school bus, and Carl Edward Tarver, 57, of Cushing, were killed in the 4:05 p.m. crash on Tuesday, said Diann Warnock, a communications officer with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Combs was pinned for about 1 1/2 hours by jammed bus doors before Cushing firefighters were able to cut her free, troopers said. She suffered massive head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
Another passenger on the bus, Halli McKintire, sustained head and internal injuries and was taken to Cushing Regional Hospital in stable condition, the OHP said. Her hometown and age were not available.
The bus driver, Jimmie Sue Blose, 50, was flown by helicopter to St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, the patrol reported. Media relations coordinator Hether Haddox said Wednesday morning she could not release information on Blose.
Firefighters worked for about two hours to free Tarver from the wreckage of his truck, but he died of massive head injuries at the scene of the accident, the patrol said.
A passenger in Tarver's truck, Linda Lou Tarver, 54, sustained head and leg injuries and was taken to Cushing Regional Hospital before being transferred to Deaconess Hospital, the OHP said.
There were six other passengers on the bus but information about them, including names, ages and hometowns, wasn't immediately released.
The bus was eastbound on a county road when it failed to yield to the pickup, which was pulling a cattle trailer northbound on State Highway 18, Trooper Steve Burrows said in a report on the accident. The truck crashed into the bus on the front passenger side, Burrows said. (This means she ran the stop sign!!)
Eric Sams, an employee of an auto shop near the intersection where the crash occurred, witnessed the crash.
"The bus was spun completely around," Sams said. "The front axle of the bus bounced off onto the road and onto the bus."
The impact mangled the front end of the truck all the way up to the driver's side windshield and tore off the hood of the bus. Yellow debris from the bus and wheels were strewn about the area.
Ripley softball coach Tony Cazzelle said classes would be voluntary Wednesday and that counselors would be on hand to meet with students. "It's just a little town, and something like this touches everybody," Cazzelle said. "I know that everybody here knows everybody, and half of them are related."
Cazzelle was coaching the girls' softball team when he found out about the crash.
"We finished the game, and I told the girls after the game," he said. He said Combs "was a real good friend to several players. We all prayed..."
Students were encouraged to arrive about 9:30 or 10 a.m. Wednesday. Buses were not scheduled to operate, officials said.
The Ripley district has about 300 elementary pupils and 125 high school students.
The community is about 16 miles southeast of Stillwater and about eight miles northeast of Perkins.
Today's Quote
Today's Quote
Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present.
-Unknown
Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present.
-Unknown
Death comes knocking.... close by... and touches our family....
2 Die In Ripley High School Bus Crash
Female Student Among Dead In Ripley School Bus Accident
POSTED: 5:11 pm CST March 29, 2005
UPDATED: 12:58 am CST March 30, 2005
RIPLEY, Okla. -- A school bus collided with a pickup truck near this small Payne County community Tuesday afternoon, killing a 16-year-old Ripley High School girl and the driver of the truck, officials said.
2 Die In Payne County School Bus Crash
Sandra Deann Combs, 16, of Agra, a passenger on the school bus, and Carl Edward Tarver, 58, (Carl is the brother of Kathy Tarver Hanks, wife of Randy Hanks of Ripley. Phillip is very close friends with the family, and Randy and I and Phil used to race pigeons together!) of Cushing, were killed in the crash, said Diann Warnock, a communications officer with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The driver of the bus, Jimmie Sue Blose, 50, (Jimmie is a dear friend of Sharon Robinson, a close personal friend of our family. Jimmie is also a former client of ours at the Feed Barn. She is a super super lady who would do anything anytime to help ANYONE! I can still hear her wonderful voice and see her big ole smile... ) and a passenger in Tarver's truck, Linda Tarver, 55, both were transported to area hospitals, Warnock said. Their conditions weren't immediately available.
The pickup, pulling a cattle trailer, was headed northbound on State Highway 18 and the bus was headed east on a county road when the crash occurred, according to OHP Lt. Brandon Kopepasah.
Eric Sams, an employee of an auto shop near the intersection where the crash occurred, witnessed the crash.
"The bus was spun completely around," Sams said. "The front axle of the bus bounced off onto the road and onto the bus."
Ripley softball coach Tony Cazzelle said classes would be voluntary Wednesday and that counselors would be on hand to meet with students.
"It's just a little town, and something like this touches everybody," Cazzelle said. "I know that everybody here knows everybody, and half of them are related."
Cazzelle was coaching the girls' softball team when he found out about the crash.
"We finished the game, and I told the girls after the game," he said.
He said Combs "was a real good friend to several players. We all prayed..."
The Ripley district has about 300 elementary pupils and 125 high school students.
Ed's Note:... please remember these familys in prayer as we go about our lives this day. They will be struggling to understand, as we all are, why, when, what, how, but in the end, it's all God's plan.... The only thing we can do is be ready to go... when the knock comes... on our door, and pray for guidance and understanding of the events... and help and grace and care for the familys... Carl was a wonderful Christian man, as is Jimmie. Sometimes in these deals, those that survive, really don't.
Female Student Among Dead In Ripley School Bus Accident
POSTED: 5:11 pm CST March 29, 2005
UPDATED: 12:58 am CST March 30, 2005
RIPLEY, Okla. -- A school bus collided with a pickup truck near this small Payne County community Tuesday afternoon, killing a 16-year-old Ripley High School girl and the driver of the truck, officials said.
2 Die In Payne County School Bus Crash
Sandra Deann Combs, 16, of Agra, a passenger on the school bus, and Carl Edward Tarver, 58, (Carl is the brother of Kathy Tarver Hanks, wife of Randy Hanks of Ripley. Phillip is very close friends with the family, and Randy and I and Phil used to race pigeons together!) of Cushing, were killed in the crash, said Diann Warnock, a communications officer with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The driver of the bus, Jimmie Sue Blose, 50, (Jimmie is a dear friend of Sharon Robinson, a close personal friend of our family. Jimmie is also a former client of ours at the Feed Barn. She is a super super lady who would do anything anytime to help ANYONE! I can still hear her wonderful voice and see her big ole smile... ) and a passenger in Tarver's truck, Linda Tarver, 55, both were transported to area hospitals, Warnock said. Their conditions weren't immediately available.
The pickup, pulling a cattle trailer, was headed northbound on State Highway 18 and the bus was headed east on a county road when the crash occurred, according to OHP Lt. Brandon Kopepasah.
Eric Sams, an employee of an auto shop near the intersection where the crash occurred, witnessed the crash.
"The bus was spun completely around," Sams said. "The front axle of the bus bounced off onto the road and onto the bus."
Ripley softball coach Tony Cazzelle said classes would be voluntary Wednesday and that counselors would be on hand to meet with students.
"It's just a little town, and something like this touches everybody," Cazzelle said. "I know that everybody here knows everybody, and half of them are related."
Cazzelle was coaching the girls' softball team when he found out about the crash.
"We finished the game, and I told the girls after the game," he said.
He said Combs "was a real good friend to several players. We all prayed..."
The Ripley district has about 300 elementary pupils and 125 high school students.
Ed's Note:... please remember these familys in prayer as we go about our lives this day. They will be struggling to understand, as we all are, why, when, what, how, but in the end, it's all God's plan.... The only thing we can do is be ready to go... when the knock comes... on our door, and pray for guidance and understanding of the events... and help and grace and care for the familys... Carl was a wonderful Christian man, as is Jimmie. Sometimes in these deals, those that survive, really don't.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
LET'S JUST SEE HOW OBSERVANT YOU REALLY ARE... Ann sent this in this am..
LET'S JUST SEE HOW OBSERVANT YOU REALLY ARE.
Here we go!
1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?
2. How many states are there in theUSA? (Don't laugh, some people don't know)
3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch?
4. What six colors are on the classicCampbell's soup label?
5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them?
6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg?
7. How many matches are in a standard pack?
8. On the United Statesflag is the top stripe red or white?
9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial?
10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?
11. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?
12. How many channels on a VHF TV dial? (does anyone have
one of these anymore)?
13. On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons?
14. Which way do fans rotate?
15. What is on the back of a Canadian dime?
16. How many sides does a stop sign have?
17. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?
18. How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?
19. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?
20. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?
21. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?
22. On which playing card s the card maker's trademark?
23. On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats?
24. On the back of a Canadian $1 coin, what is in the centre?
25. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits?
26. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip?
27. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise?
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
ANSWERS
1. Bottom
2. 50
3. Right
4. Blue, red, white, yellow, black, &gold
5. 1, 0
6. Right
7. 20
8. Red
9. 88
10. Clockwise (north of the equator)
11. Towards bottom right
12. 12 (no #1)
13. Left
14. Clockwise as you look at it
15 The Bluenose
16. 8
17. Left
18. 5
19. 6
20. Bashful
21. 8
22. Ace of spades
23. Left
24. Loon
25. *, #
26. 3
27 Counter
Here we go!
1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?
2. How many states are there in theUSA? (Don't laugh, some people don't know)
3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch?
4. What six colors are on the classicCampbell's soup label?
5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them?
6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg?
7. How many matches are in a standard pack?
8. On the United Statesflag is the top stripe red or white?
9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial?
10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?
11. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?
12. How many channels on a VHF TV dial? (does anyone have
one of these anymore)?
13. On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons?
14. Which way do fans rotate?
15. What is on the back of a Canadian dime?
16. How many sides does a stop sign have?
17. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?
18. How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?
19. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?
20. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?
21. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?
22. On which playing card s the card maker's trademark?
23. On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats?
24. On the back of a Canadian $1 coin, what is in the centre?
25. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits?
26. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip?
27. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise?
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
ANSWERS
1. Bottom
2. 50
3. Right
4. Blue, red, white, yellow, black, &gold
5. 1, 0
6. Right
7. 20
8. Red
9. 88
10. Clockwise (north of the equator)
11. Towards bottom right
12. 12 (no #1)
13. Left
14. Clockwise as you look at it
15 The Bluenose
16. 8
17. Left
18. 5
19. 6
20. Bashful
21. 8
22. Ace of spades
23. Left
24. Loon
25. *, #
26. 3
27 Counter
Carried by a horse drawn cart, the caskets of Indian officer Daryl Lussier and his companion Michelle Sigana go past the Red Lake High School in Red Lake, Minn., Saturday, March 26, 2005. Jeff Weise, a 16-year-old student at Red Lake High School shot his grand-father Lussier and his grand-father's companion Michelle Sigana along with seven others at the school and himself on Monday. Funeral services were held for Lussier and Sigana today. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Today's Prayer from Uncle Ivan ~ Thanks...!
"Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives, and email friends that are reading this right now.
Show them a new revelation of Your love and power.
Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment.
Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy.
Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace.
Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings.
In Jesus' precious name. Amen."
Show them a new revelation of Your love and power.
Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment.
Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy.
Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace.
Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings.
In Jesus' precious name. Amen."
Sweet Hawaiian Baby Burgers
Sweet Hawaiian Baby Burgers
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef chuck
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 canned pineapple slices
Salt
12 Hawaiian sweet or small dinner rolls, split
Lettuce
Sauce:
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup pineapple preserves
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
Instructions:
Combine ground beef and Worcestershire sauce in medium bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Shape into twelve 1/2-inch thick mini patties.
Combine sauce ingredients in small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Place pineapple slices on rack in broiler pan so surface of pineapple is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Broil 3 to 4 minutes, turning once and brushing with sauce. Remove pineapple; keep warm. Place patties on rack in broiler pan so surface of beef is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Broil 7 to 8 minutes to medium (160°F) doneness, until not pink in center and juices show no pink color, turning halfway through and brushing with sauce. Season with salt, as desired.
Cut each pineapple slice into thirds. Line bottom of each roll with lettuce; top with a burger, then with a pineapple piece. Close sandwiches.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 583 calories; 30 g protein; 64 g carbohydrate; 22 g fat; 480 mg sodium; 107 mg cholesterol; 4.6 mg niacin; 0.4 mg vitamin B6; 2.3 mcg vitamin B12; 5.4 mg iron; 5.4 mg zinc
In five short years, coach brings out best in Baylor -
In five short years, coach brings out best in Baylor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Nancy Lieberman
Special to ESPN.com
They'll never admit it, but sometimes a coach just doesn't know what to say after a loss.
Kim Mulkey-Robertson and Baylor have reached their first Elite Eight.
You wonder if your players, heads hung low, are even listening. If anything you say can take away the sting.
And boy, you just knew this one would stick with the Baylor Lady Bears for a while.
Down by 21 points against then No. 2-ranked LSU in their season opener, the eighth-ranked Bears staged a furious second-half comeback to tie the score with 1:40 to play, only to lose on the final possession.
But in the locker room afterward, the words flowed freely from Kim Mulkey-Robertson's mouth.
"One day," the Baylor coach told her players, "we're going to be able to win these games."
Turns out, the words were more fact than false hope. And five months later, the Lady Bears' ability to win -- both by blowout and by the skin of their teeth -- has brought the program its first regular-season Big 12 title, its first conference tournament championship and, after Saturday's 64-57 victory over Minnesota, its first trip to the Elite Eight where it will meet North Carolina on Monday (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET).
Along the way, Baylor notched 15 wins by at least 15 points, but also pulled out the tight ones, winning six games that were decided by five or fewer points, including a one-point victory over Sweet 16 competitor Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament semifinals.
Still, the most notable number of all might be the fact that the just five years ago, Baylor was the worst team in the Big 12.
That, of course, was before Mulkey-Robertson arrived. Before the program produced not one but two All-Americans (junior Sophia Young was named to the AP All-America Second Team, while senior Steffanie Blackmon was tabbed a third-team pick) this season. Before Baylor became one of just two teams this year among the major conferences to win its regular-season and tournament titles outright. And before Mulkey-Robertson racked up a stunning 126-38 record.
No one doubted Mulkey-Robertson would be successful as a head coach. People, including the coach herself, just thought it would be at a different school. After helping Louisiana Tech win back-to-back national championships in 1981 and '82, she joined Leon Barmore's staff and served as an assistant for 15 years. By the time Barmore decided to retire, the assumption was that the program would fall into Mulkey-Robertson's hands.
The offer, albeit disappointing, was made. But Mulkey-Robertson declined. And who could blame her? After giving 19 years to Louisiana Tech, she asked for a five-year contract. The best the school came up with was a one-year deal that would be revisited after her first season.
"I had spent 38 years in Louisiana, and had given 19 years of my life to Louisiana Tech," she said. "I never thought I would leave. I never realized there was a bigger world out there."
But Baylor came calling, and Mulkey-Robertson soon made her way to Waco, Texas. Success quickly followed.
The team went 7-20 prior to her arrival, but Mulkey-Robertson has since guided the Lady Bears to the postseason every season. In 2001, Baylor produced its first professional players when Sheila Lambert and Danielle Crockrom were each drafted in the first round. Lambert also became the program's first Kodak All-American, and Baylor continues to break the program's attendance records.
Ironically, Lambert also won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, which recognizes the nation's best player who's 5 feet, 7 inches or shorter. Mulkey-Robertson, who, despite being a playmaker in college scored a then-national record 4,075 points at Hammond High School, won the inaugural award in 1984. Now, with three more wins this season, Mulkey-Robertson could become the first woman to win NCAA titles as both a player and coach.
Junior guard Chameka Scott says her coach's intensity sets the tone for the Lady Bears.
"[Coach] has the ability to get the best out of her players and puts it on the line in every aspect of the game, whether it's going after officials or going after us," Scott said. "She makes you take it up another notch, mentally, emotionally, and how you play on the court."
And yet, despite Mulkey-Robertson's intensity, she has taught Baylor to stay cool and in control in the clutch.
The Lady Bears, who are riding a school-record 17-game winning streak, will need that Monday. Both UNC and Baylor like to run, with the Tar Heels averaging nearly 80 points and the Bears putting about 75 on the board each game. Sounds like it could be another close one.
Ed's note:.... We will have to see. Lou Tech is where OSU's new coach for ladys come's from too, He being the one they chose over Kim... but I bet Coach KIM is the one OSU should have recruited, especially the way the Lady Bears won last night making it to the Final Four of women's bball!! Man, I have never watched the ladies before.. and these ladys are killers!! what an exciting game!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Nancy Lieberman
Special to ESPN.com
They'll never admit it, but sometimes a coach just doesn't know what to say after a loss.
Kim Mulkey-Robertson and Baylor have reached their first Elite Eight.
You wonder if your players, heads hung low, are even listening. If anything you say can take away the sting.
And boy, you just knew this one would stick with the Baylor Lady Bears for a while.
Down by 21 points against then No. 2-ranked LSU in their season opener, the eighth-ranked Bears staged a furious second-half comeback to tie the score with 1:40 to play, only to lose on the final possession.
But in the locker room afterward, the words flowed freely from Kim Mulkey-Robertson's mouth.
"One day," the Baylor coach told her players, "we're going to be able to win these games."
Turns out, the words were more fact than false hope. And five months later, the Lady Bears' ability to win -- both by blowout and by the skin of their teeth -- has brought the program its first regular-season Big 12 title, its first conference tournament championship and, after Saturday's 64-57 victory over Minnesota, its first trip to the Elite Eight where it will meet North Carolina on Monday (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET).
Along the way, Baylor notched 15 wins by at least 15 points, but also pulled out the tight ones, winning six games that were decided by five or fewer points, including a one-point victory over Sweet 16 competitor Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament semifinals.
Still, the most notable number of all might be the fact that the just five years ago, Baylor was the worst team in the Big 12.
That, of course, was before Mulkey-Robertson arrived. Before the program produced not one but two All-Americans (junior Sophia Young was named to the AP All-America Second Team, while senior Steffanie Blackmon was tabbed a third-team pick) this season. Before Baylor became one of just two teams this year among the major conferences to win its regular-season and tournament titles outright. And before Mulkey-Robertson racked up a stunning 126-38 record.
No one doubted Mulkey-Robertson would be successful as a head coach. People, including the coach herself, just thought it would be at a different school. After helping Louisiana Tech win back-to-back national championships in 1981 and '82, she joined Leon Barmore's staff and served as an assistant for 15 years. By the time Barmore decided to retire, the assumption was that the program would fall into Mulkey-Robertson's hands.
The offer, albeit disappointing, was made. But Mulkey-Robertson declined. And who could blame her? After giving 19 years to Louisiana Tech, she asked for a five-year contract. The best the school came up with was a one-year deal that would be revisited after her first season.
"I had spent 38 years in Louisiana, and had given 19 years of my life to Louisiana Tech," she said. "I never thought I would leave. I never realized there was a bigger world out there."
But Baylor came calling, and Mulkey-Robertson soon made her way to Waco, Texas. Success quickly followed.
The team went 7-20 prior to her arrival, but Mulkey-Robertson has since guided the Lady Bears to the postseason every season. In 2001, Baylor produced its first professional players when Sheila Lambert and Danielle Crockrom were each drafted in the first round. Lambert also became the program's first Kodak All-American, and Baylor continues to break the program's attendance records.
Ironically, Lambert also won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, which recognizes the nation's best player who's 5 feet, 7 inches or shorter. Mulkey-Robertson, who, despite being a playmaker in college scored a then-national record 4,075 points at Hammond High School, won the inaugural award in 1984. Now, with three more wins this season, Mulkey-Robertson could become the first woman to win NCAA titles as both a player and coach.
Junior guard Chameka Scott says her coach's intensity sets the tone for the Lady Bears.
"[Coach] has the ability to get the best out of her players and puts it on the line in every aspect of the game, whether it's going after officials or going after us," Scott said. "She makes you take it up another notch, mentally, emotionally, and how you play on the court."
And yet, despite Mulkey-Robertson's intensity, she has taught Baylor to stay cool and in control in the clutch.
The Lady Bears, who are riding a school-record 17-game winning streak, will need that Monday. Both UNC and Baylor like to run, with the Tar Heels averaging nearly 80 points and the Bears putting about 75 on the board each game. Sounds like it could be another close one.
Ed's note:.... We will have to see. Lou Tech is where OSU's new coach for ladys come's from too, He being the one they chose over Kim... but I bet Coach KIM is the one OSU should have recruited, especially the way the Lady Bears won last night making it to the Final Four of women's bball!! Man, I have never watched the ladies before.. and these ladys are killers!! what an exciting game!!
Welcome - Our Moffat Family Blog
Click on this link and it should take you to the account for moffatfamilyblog photos... and you should be able to see all albums...
please let me know if it DOES not work? thanks.. also if you can not see video, please let me know the exact link and I will fix it... please?? stan@paynecountyline.com
please let me know if it DOES not work? thanks.. also if you can not see video, please let me know the exact link and I will fix it... please?? stan@paynecountyline.com
Special Birthday today ~ Aunt Agnes Siegrist
All day today Tuesday March 29, 2005
Agnes Palmer Siegrist celebrates her 76th birthday!
Congratulations, and Many Many Many More!!!
Agnes Palmer Siegrist celebrates her 76th birthday!
Congratulations, and Many Many Many More!!!
Monday, March 28, 2005
Telluride Marshal's Department, a few hehehe's...
Telluride Marshal's Department
March 17
DUI: A 35-year-old Ouray man who blew a stop sign was asked to provide his license and instead offered the deputy his credit card. He was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. He said: "I wasn't driving, I was just moving my car around the block."
March 18
HIT AND RUN: A dirty SUV hit a car. The driver yelled, "Are you OK?" but took off before he could hear the answer from the victims. The victim couldn't read the license because it was caked in dirt. The victim said the hit and run driver "looked like he was wasted." Within five minutes, a deputy five blocks away from the accident serendipitously stopped a similar SUV on suspicious of DUI. The SUV matched the description of the hit and run vehicle (dried mud on the license plate), and the suspect matched the hit and run victim's description. There was fresh bumper marks on his front bumper.
WARRANT: A 58-year-old Telluride man was arrested on an outstanding warrant. He was unaware of the warrant. He bonded out for $3,000.
DOG AT LARGE: A pit bull was running around, leash-less, trying to play with a pug. It had no town license and no owner. A man clearing snow said the dog had been running loose for 45 minutes. The code enforcement officer took the dog to the pound. When the owner was contacted, he hung up on the cops, and was described by police as having very poor manners. When he came into the marshal's office to retrieve the dog, he threw a $50 bill down on the counter (the fee for dog catching) and said to the officer "I have dealt with you in the past and you were a nice guy, but lately you're a jerk. Some day you will need my help and I'm not going to give it to you." When the officer saw him on the street later, the man yelled, "It's called Karma!" Again, he was described as being very poorly behaved.
March 16
LOUD PARTY: A noise complaint came in about an apartment being too loud at 3:30 a.m. A woman in the apartment was given a warning by the cops. Then, at around 4:10 a.m., another noise complaint came in. The woman explained "the walls are paper thin and we were only talking." The deputy said he had heard music coming from the apartment. The woman was cited for unnecessary noise violation.
March 22
DUI: A 33-year-old Moab woman was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Feb. 21
HATRED FOR COPS: A driver contacted for erratic driving lost his temper with the cops. He said he was "sick of being harassed by [expletive] cops." When another cop arrived to help out the scene, he said: "how many [expletive] cops do you need to talk to me?"
THEFT: An employee at a local fitness center said she thought her ring had been stolen while she worked out. It was later recovered.
RECOVERED BIKE: A bike found in the Free Box and ridden by a woman turned out to be owned by someone else.
Mountain Village Police Department
March 14
CITIZEN ASSIST: A booted vehicle was released to a citizen, and the past due fine collected.
CARS PARKED TOO LONG: Two vehicles were parked in the upper lot for most of the winter. The cops ran the plates and they turned out to be employee vehicles that will be moved.
PARKING CODE ENFORCEMENT: Ten tickets were issued.
CITIZEN ASSIST: A vehicle was out of gas. Gas was brought to the vehicle but it still would not start. She said she would try again the next day.
BAR CHECK: No problems in a local bar, aside from a few livers being assaulted.
March 15
CITIZEN ASSIST: A person lost his keys. He said he would have the car out of the way by 10 a.m. the next morning. Code enforcement was advised.
CITIZEN ASSIST: A lost guest needed directions to overnight parking and a ride from the B-lot to her hotel.
PARKING PROBLEM: There was a report of an abandoned trailer in the circle of upper San Joaquin. Upon arrival, the fuzz found that the owner was attaching the trailer to his truck. He stated that his other truck had broken down and that he had to get another vehicle to move it.
THEFT: Report of ski privileges being abused. Telski declined to prosecute because the person using the pass did not read or speak English. Telski was satisfied with civil restitution.
CTIZEN ASSIST: A person was concerned with all the construction traffic in the Lost Creek Lane traffic circle. The 5-0 advised him that city officials were working on the problem and would be coming up with a plan to solve these issues.
THEFT: One guy was caught skiing on another guy's ski pass. He was cited into municipal court for misdemeanor theft.
THEFT: Ditto.
WANTED: A subject was arrested on an active warrant, pokey-d, and held on $5,000 bond.
STOLEN SNOWBOARD: Weak, dude.
IRONY ALERT: A No Parking sign broke off and fell on a vehicle parked in front of it, causing minor damage. On further review, the car was found to be legally parked there.
CITIZEN ASSIST: Fines paid = boot removed.
STOLENT SKIS: Super weak, dude.
RUNAWAY JUVENILE: A person called to report that their juvenile son ran away from home. Cops took a report, and gave dispatch information for the national databases.
BAR CHECK: Everything checked out.
March 16
VEHICLE THEFT: Telluride Ski and Golf Company said it could not find one of its company vehicles.
THEFT: Ski pass in the name of one person used by person with different name.
TRAFFIC DETAIL: One person needed to be warned for traveling 25 in a 20 mph zone.
March 17
NOISE COMPLAINT: An unknown female called to report loud music coming from the apartment next door. It turned out to be coming from the apartment below her. The people down under agreed to turn the music down.
GRAFFITTI: No suspects currently in the case of the spray painted Gondola seat.
TRAFFIC DETAIL: Two people were speeding, both going 28 in a 20. One driver had a license plate that appeared expired but it turned out the 2005 sticker had fallen off. The driver said he would get a new sticker.
MOTORIST ASSIST: A driver locked the keys in the car with the motor running.
THEFT ON LIFT 4: A 39-year-old male from New Hampshire was trying to use someone else's ski pass. Then a 55-year-old female from Texas did the same thing. Then a 47-year-old woman did the same.
CONCERT DUTY: 900 or so people showed up for a concert; only six verbal warnings were issued.
March 18
SENT TO HIS ROOM: A person complained that he had had an altercation with a drunk passenger on Dial-a-Ride. The passenger was warned about his behavior and sent to his room.
LOST KEYS: While skiing, a dude lost his keys.
AT LIFT 4: A 54-year-old local man was caught trying to use someone else's pass.
AT LIFT 10: A 54-year-old local woman was caught trying to use someone else's pass.
AT LIFT 10: A 59-year-old man was caught trying to use someone else's five-day ski pass.
SUSPICIOUS PERSON: A male and female were having a heated discussion. They said everything was OK.
March 19
ON LIFT 4: A 46-year-old male was caught using someone else's pass.
March 20
ON LIFT 4: A 19-year-old male was caught using someone else's pass.
TRAFFIC ACCIDENT: Three car accident: one car ran off the road and suffered no damage, while two cars slammed into each other head-on, causing between $3,000 and $4,000 worth of damage.
San Miguel Sheriff's Office
March 14
FALSE ALARM: At the airport, a worker arriving at the beginning of the day set off the alarm.
March 15
FRAUD: A landowner suspected fraud in connection with a property he was renting near Sunshine Peak. Counterfeit U.S. Post Service money orders were involved, and the case was transferred to the USPS.
NEAR ILIUM: A man drove clean and sober.
March 16
GAS SKIP: At a gas station Down Valley, somebody skipped out on paying for gas.
FRAUD: A Redvale woman had her identity stolen, and a thief used her credit card to buy over $1,400 in merchandise from New York.
SHEEP: Sheep wandered from their pasture into another. This is a recurring problem.
March 17
TRASH LOSS: A vehicle driving down Highway 145 was losing trash out of the back of the vehicle.
DUCK: An Egnar resident reported a possible gunshot near her residence.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF: A Lawson Hill resident awoke to find someone had painted a potentially threatening message on her window.
POACHING: Two people were poaching in the Norwood area.
March 18
RECKLESS DRIVING: There was very nearly a very painful head-on collision east of Sawpit as a driver attempted a dangerous and illegal pass on a curve on Highway 145. An oncoming driver saved himself and others with a successful avoidance maneuver through a ditch. The guy making the dangerous pass was stopped and issued a citation.
CIVIL DISPUTE: A family disputed something.
DOG LOOSE: A heeler-lab mix was found near Norwood.
March 19
DUI: A 47-year-old man was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: A possible domestic violence dispute turned out to be verbal only.
ANIMAL WELFARE CHECK: On Juniper Dr., the dogs had plenty of food and water.
SHEEP: Sheep were out of their pasture. The owner was contacted.
March 20
AIRPLANE CRASH: A single engine airplane performed an emergency landing in the Norwood area after losing power during an approach to Telluride Airport. Due to low visibility, the pilot landed in an open field causing some damage to the plane. The pilot was uninjured.
March 17
DUI: A 35-year-old Ouray man who blew a stop sign was asked to provide his license and instead offered the deputy his credit card. He was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. He said: "I wasn't driving, I was just moving my car around the block."
March 18
HIT AND RUN: A dirty SUV hit a car. The driver yelled, "Are you OK?" but took off before he could hear the answer from the victims. The victim couldn't read the license because it was caked in dirt. The victim said the hit and run driver "looked like he was wasted." Within five minutes, a deputy five blocks away from the accident serendipitously stopped a similar SUV on suspicious of DUI. The SUV matched the description of the hit and run vehicle (dried mud on the license plate), and the suspect matched the hit and run victim's description. There was fresh bumper marks on his front bumper.
WARRANT: A 58-year-old Telluride man was arrested on an outstanding warrant. He was unaware of the warrant. He bonded out for $3,000.
DOG AT LARGE: A pit bull was running around, leash-less, trying to play with a pug. It had no town license and no owner. A man clearing snow said the dog had been running loose for 45 minutes. The code enforcement officer took the dog to the pound. When the owner was contacted, he hung up on the cops, and was described by police as having very poor manners. When he came into the marshal's office to retrieve the dog, he threw a $50 bill down on the counter (the fee for dog catching) and said to the officer "I have dealt with you in the past and you were a nice guy, but lately you're a jerk. Some day you will need my help and I'm not going to give it to you." When the officer saw him on the street later, the man yelled, "It's called Karma!" Again, he was described as being very poorly behaved.
March 16
LOUD PARTY: A noise complaint came in about an apartment being too loud at 3:30 a.m. A woman in the apartment was given a warning by the cops. Then, at around 4:10 a.m., another noise complaint came in. The woman explained "the walls are paper thin and we were only talking." The deputy said he had heard music coming from the apartment. The woman was cited for unnecessary noise violation.
March 22
DUI: A 33-year-old Moab woman was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Feb. 21
HATRED FOR COPS: A driver contacted for erratic driving lost his temper with the cops. He said he was "sick of being harassed by [expletive] cops." When another cop arrived to help out the scene, he said: "how many [expletive] cops do you need to talk to me?"
THEFT: An employee at a local fitness center said she thought her ring had been stolen while she worked out. It was later recovered.
RECOVERED BIKE: A bike found in the Free Box and ridden by a woman turned out to be owned by someone else.
Mountain Village Police Department
March 14
CITIZEN ASSIST: A booted vehicle was released to a citizen, and the past due fine collected.
CARS PARKED TOO LONG: Two vehicles were parked in the upper lot for most of the winter. The cops ran the plates and they turned out to be employee vehicles that will be moved.
PARKING CODE ENFORCEMENT: Ten tickets were issued.
CITIZEN ASSIST: A vehicle was out of gas. Gas was brought to the vehicle but it still would not start. She said she would try again the next day.
BAR CHECK: No problems in a local bar, aside from a few livers being assaulted.
March 15
CITIZEN ASSIST: A person lost his keys. He said he would have the car out of the way by 10 a.m. the next morning. Code enforcement was advised.
CITIZEN ASSIST: A lost guest needed directions to overnight parking and a ride from the B-lot to her hotel.
PARKING PROBLEM: There was a report of an abandoned trailer in the circle of upper San Joaquin. Upon arrival, the fuzz found that the owner was attaching the trailer to his truck. He stated that his other truck had broken down and that he had to get another vehicle to move it.
THEFT: Report of ski privileges being abused. Telski declined to prosecute because the person using the pass did not read or speak English. Telski was satisfied with civil restitution.
CTIZEN ASSIST: A person was concerned with all the construction traffic in the Lost Creek Lane traffic circle. The 5-0 advised him that city officials were working on the problem and would be coming up with a plan to solve these issues.
THEFT: One guy was caught skiing on another guy's ski pass. He was cited into municipal court for misdemeanor theft.
THEFT: Ditto.
WANTED: A subject was arrested on an active warrant, pokey-d, and held on $5,000 bond.
STOLEN SNOWBOARD: Weak, dude.
IRONY ALERT: A No Parking sign broke off and fell on a vehicle parked in front of it, causing minor damage. On further review, the car was found to be legally parked there.
CITIZEN ASSIST: Fines paid = boot removed.
STOLENT SKIS: Super weak, dude.
RUNAWAY JUVENILE: A person called to report that their juvenile son ran away from home. Cops took a report, and gave dispatch information for the national databases.
BAR CHECK: Everything checked out.
March 16
VEHICLE THEFT: Telluride Ski and Golf Company said it could not find one of its company vehicles.
THEFT: Ski pass in the name of one person used by person with different name.
TRAFFIC DETAIL: One person needed to be warned for traveling 25 in a 20 mph zone.
March 17
NOISE COMPLAINT: An unknown female called to report loud music coming from the apartment next door. It turned out to be coming from the apartment below her. The people down under agreed to turn the music down.
GRAFFITTI: No suspects currently in the case of the spray painted Gondola seat.
TRAFFIC DETAIL: Two people were speeding, both going 28 in a 20. One driver had a license plate that appeared expired but it turned out the 2005 sticker had fallen off. The driver said he would get a new sticker.
MOTORIST ASSIST: A driver locked the keys in the car with the motor running.
THEFT ON LIFT 4: A 39-year-old male from New Hampshire was trying to use someone else's ski pass. Then a 55-year-old female from Texas did the same thing. Then a 47-year-old woman did the same.
CONCERT DUTY: 900 or so people showed up for a concert; only six verbal warnings were issued.
March 18
SENT TO HIS ROOM: A person complained that he had had an altercation with a drunk passenger on Dial-a-Ride. The passenger was warned about his behavior and sent to his room.
LOST KEYS: While skiing, a dude lost his keys.
AT LIFT 4: A 54-year-old local man was caught trying to use someone else's pass.
AT LIFT 10: A 54-year-old local woman was caught trying to use someone else's pass.
AT LIFT 10: A 59-year-old man was caught trying to use someone else's five-day ski pass.
SUSPICIOUS PERSON: A male and female were having a heated discussion. They said everything was OK.
March 19
ON LIFT 4: A 46-year-old male was caught using someone else's pass.
March 20
ON LIFT 4: A 19-year-old male was caught using someone else's pass.
TRAFFIC ACCIDENT: Three car accident: one car ran off the road and suffered no damage, while two cars slammed into each other head-on, causing between $3,000 and $4,000 worth of damage.
San Miguel Sheriff's Office
March 14
FALSE ALARM: At the airport, a worker arriving at the beginning of the day set off the alarm.
March 15
FRAUD: A landowner suspected fraud in connection with a property he was renting near Sunshine Peak. Counterfeit U.S. Post Service money orders were involved, and the case was transferred to the USPS.
NEAR ILIUM: A man drove clean and sober.
March 16
GAS SKIP: At a gas station Down Valley, somebody skipped out on paying for gas.
FRAUD: A Redvale woman had her identity stolen, and a thief used her credit card to buy over $1,400 in merchandise from New York.
SHEEP: Sheep wandered from their pasture into another. This is a recurring problem.
March 17
TRASH LOSS: A vehicle driving down Highway 145 was losing trash out of the back of the vehicle.
DUCK: An Egnar resident reported a possible gunshot near her residence.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF: A Lawson Hill resident awoke to find someone had painted a potentially threatening message on her window.
POACHING: Two people were poaching in the Norwood area.
March 18
RECKLESS DRIVING: There was very nearly a very painful head-on collision east of Sawpit as a driver attempted a dangerous and illegal pass on a curve on Highway 145. An oncoming driver saved himself and others with a successful avoidance maneuver through a ditch. The guy making the dangerous pass was stopped and issued a citation.
CIVIL DISPUTE: A family disputed something.
DOG LOOSE: A heeler-lab mix was found near Norwood.
March 19
DUI: A 47-year-old man was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: A possible domestic violence dispute turned out to be verbal only.
ANIMAL WELFARE CHECK: On Juniper Dr., the dogs had plenty of food and water.
SHEEP: Sheep were out of their pasture. The owner was contacted.
March 20
AIRPLANE CRASH: A single engine airplane performed an emergency landing in the Norwood area after losing power during an approach to Telluride Airport. Due to low visibility, the pilot landed in an open field causing some damage to the plane. The pilot was uninjured.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
DID YOU SEE.. DID YOU SEE... THE EMPTY TOMB.... ????
HAPPY EASTER TO ONE AND ALL... THE MOST AMAZING THING REGARDING EASTER, I WAS ASKED? Well, that would have to be that Jesus Christ gave his life for me, arose, and is sitting with God in Heaven watching all this, and STILL loves and welcomes me into his arms!!
Friday, March 25, 2005
I know.. need to see Kaitlyn's easter dress.. however, this is an important pic.. Phillip is holding Kaitlyn for the first time.. practicing we hold for even neater things to come!!! from them??? haha... Anyway, thought this was a neat catch, Uncle Phillip and his niece, Kaitlyn... ! All the kiddos were here except the Blankinships. Had a nice visit... but missed them very much... maybe next year, huh? Happy Easter... I will put pics up tomorrow I hope.. so no need to look now.. haha..
From Heather.. HEHE...
For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married,
or wish you weren't married, this is something to smile about the
next time you open a bottle of wine:
Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.
Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally.
"What's in the bag?" asked the old woman.
Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, "It's a bottle of wine.I got it for my husband."
The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said, "Good trade."
or wish you weren't married, this is something to smile about the
next time you open a bottle of wine:
Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.
Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally.
"What's in the bag?" asked the old woman.
Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, "It's a bottle of wine.I got it for my husband."
The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said, "Good trade."
God awesome greatness... and his artful eye...
Did you see the sky last night?? Awesome display.... Enjoy! Jon and Randi and Kaitlyn are here for Easter, and Ann went with them into Heather's office to show off Kaitlyn to Heather's co workers... etc. Then we are going to get family together this evening for a bit of dinner and to enjoy the time together... There is a new album of these pics online now... How lucky we are! Love everyone... Happy Easter!
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Very Timely.....
Putting your wishes in writing
11:14 AM CST on Thursday, March 24, 2005
By KAREN M. THOMAS and MICHAEL PRECKER / The Dallas Morning News
Nearly a month ago, right before surgery, Fred Bailey of Dallas made a decision.
He had had a mild heart attack in 2000 and a triple bypass after that. Now doctors were preparing to install a device in his chest to automatically shock his heart if it beat irregularly. When a staff member at Baylor University Medical Center asked him a routine question – whether he was in interested in a living will – Mr. Bailey said he was. After speaking with a hospital chaplain, he signed an advance directive asking doctors not to resuscitate him if the worst should occur.
"I freely signed," says Mr. Bailey, who's 53. "I have children, grandchildren and living parents. I don't want them to go through anything that remotely resembles that situation in Florida. ... The main thing is that I don't want to be in a vegetative state or a coma."
"That situation," as Mr. Bailey puts it, is the kind of unhappy news that brings advance directives, also known as living wills, back into the spotlight. Terri Schiavo, whose heart stopped in 1990 because of a chemical imbalance when she was 26 and who has been in a vegetative state since, left no answers to crucial questions: Would she want to live this way? What should be done to keep her alive?
The result has been a bitter legal battle between Ms. Schiavo's husband, who wants her to be allowed to die, and her parents, who say there is still hope for recovery. After a court ruled that Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube could be removed last month, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush won legislative approval to restore the tube and prolong her life.
A living will might have prevented the dilemma by making Ms. Schiavo's intentions clear. But when Dallas attorney Shelly B. West and geriatric care manager Kay Paggi make that point and advocate living wills, they run into frustrating, illogical problems.
"Most of my clients are quite convinced that they're not going to die," says Ms. West, who handles many family law and probate cases. "I have to get them past the idea – it's not about them; it's about taking care of their survivors."
Ms. Paggi, who works with elderly people at several facilities in Richardson, says the myth persists "that as soon as you write your will, you will die.
"Everyone knows intellectually that is not true, but you still grapple with that," she says. "It's the same thing with the living will."
Making your wishes known in advance, Ms. West says, "is such a simple, loving thing you can do for your family."
At Aging With Dignity, a nonprofit organization based in Tallahassee, Fla., that distributes a living will form nationwide called Five Wishes, the Schiavo case has sparked a surge of interest.
"We've noticed 10 times the number of orders we normally do," says Paul Malley, president of the organization. "No matter what they think is right or wrong, people are saying, 'Isn't it terrible this is happening?' One woman who called said, 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if this were Terri Schiavo's legacy?'"
Aging With Dignity was founded in 1996 to promote dignified care for people at the end of their lives. Mr. Malley says the organizers quickly realized that people wanted to have their wishes known but were discouraged by what they saw as a complicated legal process.
"People don't want to talk about death and dying to start with," Mr. Malley says. "All the forms seemed too hard to understand, so some people would just rather avoid the topic altogether."
Consider the options
Many states, including Texas, provide a living will form that allows people to choose whether they want life-sustaining treatment if they are terminally ill. The Texas document, which must be signed before two witnesses, also preserves the right for people to change their minds at any point.
But Mr. Malley says some state forms do not go into enough detail, with legal language that some people find off-putting. So his organization put together the Five Wishes booklet, asking questions in plain English covering five categories:
•The person I want to make care decisions for me when I can't
•The kind of medical treatment I want or don't want
•How comfortable I want to be
•How I want people to treat me
•What I want my loved ones to know.
"We want people to fill it out together and discuss it with their family," Mr. Malley says.
Although the Five Wishes booklet is not legally binding in Texas, Ms. Paggi says she recommends it "because it makes you think about options. If you are dying, do you want music? Do you want to die alone?"
She says that many of her elderly clients who are dying don't want their children present, but never tell them.
"They might have said, 'I really want to be alone. It's not a spectator event,'" Ms. Paggi says. "A lot of adult children are guilty because they weren't in the room when their parent died. So it's another benefit of having the document."
Aging With Dignity charges $5 for the booklet, or $25 for 25 of them. Working with attorneys, health groups, senior citizen organizations and private companies, the organization has distributed 3 million booklets.
Spread the word
Mr. Malley and Ms. Paggi recommend that people make copies of their wishes, then distribute them to family members, doctors and whoever is empowered to make decisions.
"If it's legal power of attorney, you do want to keep it locked up," Ms. Paggi says. "But a medical directive? You should make copies of the copies.
"Keep one in the glove compartment of your car, give one to the person who normally takes you on errands. It's only good if someone knows it exists and has access to it when you need it."
Mr. Bailey, who isn't married and owns a construction company, has a copy of his living will at home. He has also given copies to two friends. He's told one of his four children about his wishes. But when he became ill Oct. 28 at home alone, he was too sick to grab his directive before climbing into an ambulance. He simply signed another one after being admitted to Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital.
Staff workers "said they would like to have it on file again. I am fortunate enough that I got here, but if I were to go into cardiac arrest and lose my capacity to do what I am doing now, then I don't want that .... I don't want to be a burden to anyone I love," he says.
Put it in writing
Mr. Malley says that if the Five Wishes document is signed in front of witnesses, it has legal standing in 35 states. Ms. West says that while Five Wishes and other living wills that people do for themselves may be helpful, they may not stand up to a challenge from someone who disagrees with the instructions.
She suggests that a state-recognized living will should be part of a package that includes a will that distributes assets and a document assigning power of attorney to make decisions in case one becomes incapacitated.
In uncomplicated cases, she says, the entire process shouldn't cost more than a few hundred dollars.
"You would hope people would do this," Ms. West says. "But every week I deal with a situation where somebody didn't. Then it becomes this ethical dilemma.
"If everybody knew what I wanted, but I didn't take an hour to go and sign a document, then the hospital is nervous and the doctors are nervous about cutting off life support. And if there's a dispute in my family, then it goes to the court and it's a mess."
At Baylor, the Rev. Kara Leslie Stalcup says that hospital staffers ask every patient whether he or she wants a living will and offers help filling it out. The free form then becomes part of the patient's chart.
"We send patients home with the original," says Ms. Stalcup, a hospital chaplain. "We tell them to give copies to two people. It helps start the conversation. It is difficult for parents to have this conversation with their children. They can say, 'I know you don't want to talk about this, but I have already made my wishes known.'"
Peace of mind
Ms. Stalcup says people shouldn't wait until they're seriously ill to deal with the issue.
"We do believe that it is a spiritual decision as well as an emotional and physical one," she says. "The key is doing it when you don't really need to. Then you can make a decision out of faith and guidance instead of fear."
Mr. Malley says his organization hopes to convince the Texas Legislature to recognize the Five Wishes booklet as legally binding, as other states have. Meanwhile, he says, it can be a useful adjunct to the state-approved living will for a family's peace of mind.
"We're getting feedback from family members that this is immeasurably helpful," he says. "Not only in making decisions, but in knowing that they did the right thing."
"There are lots of families out there that had horror stories of having to make these life-and-death decisions without knowing what the person really wanted."
E-mail kthomas@dallasnews.com or mprecker@dallasnews.com
11:14 AM CST on Thursday, March 24, 2005
By KAREN M. THOMAS and MICHAEL PRECKER / The Dallas Morning News
Nearly a month ago, right before surgery, Fred Bailey of Dallas made a decision.
He had had a mild heart attack in 2000 and a triple bypass after that. Now doctors were preparing to install a device in his chest to automatically shock his heart if it beat irregularly. When a staff member at Baylor University Medical Center asked him a routine question – whether he was in interested in a living will – Mr. Bailey said he was. After speaking with a hospital chaplain, he signed an advance directive asking doctors not to resuscitate him if the worst should occur.
"I freely signed," says Mr. Bailey, who's 53. "I have children, grandchildren and living parents. I don't want them to go through anything that remotely resembles that situation in Florida. ... The main thing is that I don't want to be in a vegetative state or a coma."
"That situation," as Mr. Bailey puts it, is the kind of unhappy news that brings advance directives, also known as living wills, back into the spotlight. Terri Schiavo, whose heart stopped in 1990 because of a chemical imbalance when she was 26 and who has been in a vegetative state since, left no answers to crucial questions: Would she want to live this way? What should be done to keep her alive?
The result has been a bitter legal battle between Ms. Schiavo's husband, who wants her to be allowed to die, and her parents, who say there is still hope for recovery. After a court ruled that Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube could be removed last month, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush won legislative approval to restore the tube and prolong her life.
A living will might have prevented the dilemma by making Ms. Schiavo's intentions clear. But when Dallas attorney Shelly B. West and geriatric care manager Kay Paggi make that point and advocate living wills, they run into frustrating, illogical problems.
"Most of my clients are quite convinced that they're not going to die," says Ms. West, who handles many family law and probate cases. "I have to get them past the idea – it's not about them; it's about taking care of their survivors."
Ms. Paggi, who works with elderly people at several facilities in Richardson, says the myth persists "that as soon as you write your will, you will die.
"Everyone knows intellectually that is not true, but you still grapple with that," she says. "It's the same thing with the living will."
Making your wishes known in advance, Ms. West says, "is such a simple, loving thing you can do for your family."
At Aging With Dignity, a nonprofit organization based in Tallahassee, Fla., that distributes a living will form nationwide called Five Wishes, the Schiavo case has sparked a surge of interest.
"We've noticed 10 times the number of orders we normally do," says Paul Malley, president of the organization. "No matter what they think is right or wrong, people are saying, 'Isn't it terrible this is happening?' One woman who called said, 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if this were Terri Schiavo's legacy?'"
Aging With Dignity was founded in 1996 to promote dignified care for people at the end of their lives. Mr. Malley says the organizers quickly realized that people wanted to have their wishes known but were discouraged by what they saw as a complicated legal process.
"People don't want to talk about death and dying to start with," Mr. Malley says. "All the forms seemed too hard to understand, so some people would just rather avoid the topic altogether."
Consider the options
Many states, including Texas, provide a living will form that allows people to choose whether they want life-sustaining treatment if they are terminally ill. The Texas document, which must be signed before two witnesses, also preserves the right for people to change their minds at any point.
But Mr. Malley says some state forms do not go into enough detail, with legal language that some people find off-putting. So his organization put together the Five Wishes booklet, asking questions in plain English covering five categories:
•The person I want to make care decisions for me when I can't
•The kind of medical treatment I want or don't want
•How comfortable I want to be
•How I want people to treat me
•What I want my loved ones to know.
"We want people to fill it out together and discuss it with their family," Mr. Malley says.
Although the Five Wishes booklet is not legally binding in Texas, Ms. Paggi says she recommends it "because it makes you think about options. If you are dying, do you want music? Do you want to die alone?"
She says that many of her elderly clients who are dying don't want their children present, but never tell them.
"They might have said, 'I really want to be alone. It's not a spectator event,'" Ms. Paggi says. "A lot of adult children are guilty because they weren't in the room when their parent died. So it's another benefit of having the document."
Aging With Dignity charges $5 for the booklet, or $25 for 25 of them. Working with attorneys, health groups, senior citizen organizations and private companies, the organization has distributed 3 million booklets.
Spread the word
Mr. Malley and Ms. Paggi recommend that people make copies of their wishes, then distribute them to family members, doctors and whoever is empowered to make decisions.
"If it's legal power of attorney, you do want to keep it locked up," Ms. Paggi says. "But a medical directive? You should make copies of the copies.
"Keep one in the glove compartment of your car, give one to the person who normally takes you on errands. It's only good if someone knows it exists and has access to it when you need it."
Mr. Bailey, who isn't married and owns a construction company, has a copy of his living will at home. He has also given copies to two friends. He's told one of his four children about his wishes. But when he became ill Oct. 28 at home alone, he was too sick to grab his directive before climbing into an ambulance. He simply signed another one after being admitted to Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital.
Staff workers "said they would like to have it on file again. I am fortunate enough that I got here, but if I were to go into cardiac arrest and lose my capacity to do what I am doing now, then I don't want that .... I don't want to be a burden to anyone I love," he says.
Put it in writing
Mr. Malley says that if the Five Wishes document is signed in front of witnesses, it has legal standing in 35 states. Ms. West says that while Five Wishes and other living wills that people do for themselves may be helpful, they may not stand up to a challenge from someone who disagrees with the instructions.
She suggests that a state-recognized living will should be part of a package that includes a will that distributes assets and a document assigning power of attorney to make decisions in case one becomes incapacitated.
In uncomplicated cases, she says, the entire process shouldn't cost more than a few hundred dollars.
"You would hope people would do this," Ms. West says. "But every week I deal with a situation where somebody didn't. Then it becomes this ethical dilemma.
"If everybody knew what I wanted, but I didn't take an hour to go and sign a document, then the hospital is nervous and the doctors are nervous about cutting off life support. And if there's a dispute in my family, then it goes to the court and it's a mess."
At Baylor, the Rev. Kara Leslie Stalcup says that hospital staffers ask every patient whether he or she wants a living will and offers help filling it out. The free form then becomes part of the patient's chart.
"We send patients home with the original," says Ms. Stalcup, a hospital chaplain. "We tell them to give copies to two people. It helps start the conversation. It is difficult for parents to have this conversation with their children. They can say, 'I know you don't want to talk about this, but I have already made my wishes known.'"
Peace of mind
Ms. Stalcup says people shouldn't wait until they're seriously ill to deal with the issue.
"We do believe that it is a spiritual decision as well as an emotional and physical one," she says. "The key is doing it when you don't really need to. Then you can make a decision out of faith and guidance instead of fear."
Mr. Malley says his organization hopes to convince the Texas Legislature to recognize the Five Wishes booklet as legally binding, as other states have. Meanwhile, he says, it can be a useful adjunct to the state-approved living will for a family's peace of mind.
"We're getting feedback from family members that this is immeasurably helpful," he says. "Not only in making decisions, but in knowing that they did the right thing."
"There are lots of families out there that had horror stories of having to make these life-and-death decisions without knowing what the person really wanted."
E-mail kthomas@dallasnews.com or mprecker@dallasnews.com
Phil's first first Raku firing... pics thereof.. haha.. enjoy!
Wow, what a night! Phil called about 9pm and told me to get a move on!! So, Ann and I loaded up the ole buggy with a camera and dashed off to Stillwater to Multigraphics. Phil is taking classes on (wish I knew the correct title! haha) how to make pottery, or sculpture with clay... and his first firing was about to happen. We arrived in time to see the final firing, and the "coming out" of the pieces. It is a cool process, and Ann loves this type of art too... She took classes in school for this art as well, along with painting, etc., She is where the kiddos get their artist ability, even as a step mom!! Anyway, there are now some photos of the event online in our photos section, along with a couple of videos! Sorry, one video is on it's side, I forgot to turn the camera, sigh... so it's my fault, but you can still see and get the idea of what was happening. There was one sad note.. and we caught it on the second video.. a piece was accidently dropped and broken. But beyond that it was a great event. His instructor is the nice lady in the green jacket. The fire reached temps around 2000 degrees and .. well I think it's time for Phil to take over telling you what happened in the photos.. I asked him to do such.. so we will see.. haha.. have a great day, and thanks Phil for calling and inviting us to your unveiling.. haha.. we loved it. Might have to put an art center in the old feed store, so all can play and enjoy things.. later.. enjoy the day!! the pics are a bit dark to show the colors of the flames and heat, etc..
Click on these pics to see larger version of them... keep forgetting to let folks know~~!!
Today's Quote
Today's Quote
If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.
-Catherine Aird
If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.
-Catherine Aird
I think this started with Susan Rush.... haha.. love it...
Obedient Wife
There was a man who had worked all of his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real miser when it came to his money.
Just before he died, he said to his wife, "When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the
afterlife with me."
And so he got his wife to promise him with all of her heart that when he died, she would put all of the money in the casket with him.
Well, he died. He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there in black, and her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said, "Wait just a minute!"
She had a box with her, she came over with the box and put it in the casket.
Then the undertakers locked the casket down, and they rolled it away. So her friend said, "Girl, I know you weren't fool enough to put all that money in there with your husband."
The loyal wife replied," Listen, I'm a Christian, I can't go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him."
You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him!!!!?"
"I sure did," said the wife. "I got it all together, put it into my account and wrote him a check.
If he can cash it, he can spend it."
There was a man who had worked all of his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real miser when it came to his money.
Just before he died, he said to his wife, "When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the
afterlife with me."
And so he got his wife to promise him with all of her heart that when he died, she would put all of the money in the casket with him.
Well, he died. He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there in black, and her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said, "Wait just a minute!"
She had a box with her, she came over with the box and put it in the casket.
Then the undertakers locked the casket down, and they rolled it away. So her friend said, "Girl, I know you weren't fool enough to put all that money in there with your husband."
The loyal wife replied," Listen, I'm a Christian, I can't go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him."
You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him!!!!?"
"I sure did," said the wife. "I got it all together, put it into my account and wrote him a check.
If he can cash it, he can spend it."
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
from Uncle Ivan.... rings a bell..... haha
To commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/vocalist Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP.
One of the musical numbers she performed was "My Favorite Things" from the legendary movie "Sound Of Music."
However, the lyrics of the song were deliberately changed for the entertainment of her "blue hair" audience. Here are the lyrics she recited:
"Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs and cataracts and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets, and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pains, confused brains, and no fear of sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache, when the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad."
Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores
One of the musical numbers she performed was "My Favorite Things" from the legendary movie "Sound Of Music."
However, the lyrics of the song were deliberately changed for the entertainment of her "blue hair" audience. Here are the lyrics she recited:
"Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs and cataracts and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets, and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pains, confused brains, and no fear of sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache, when the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad."
Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Austyn came over yesterday afternoon and evening and we watched the new Garfield movie he brought, and then ate some of Grandma Moffat's good cookin', and then watched some OSU wrestling.. they won, yeah!!, and then watched some great basketball and a Disney movie with Tim Allen while we ate a Big OLE bowl of Grandma Moffat's popcorn.... wow.. what a busy time we had... and then we watched Wake get beat to top off the night with Phil and Tammy ... and Austyn... Great Saturday... great time... how lucky we are!!! Austyn and I took some pics and will post them in a bit.. but this is a nice shot of the REAL Austyn.... Who came up with a joke about his Grandpa's cows... When you drive along Mehan Road, our cows are sticking their heads through the fence eating the new spring growth on the other side.. and Austyn saw this one day and asked me last night.. Grandpa, do you know why your cows are sticking their heads through the fence? Cause they want to go out to eat!!!
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Today's Quote
Today's Quote
What is beautiful is not always good, but what is good is always beautiful.
-Unknown
What is beautiful is not always good, but what is good is always beautiful.
-Unknown
Friday, March 18, 2005
2nd Today's Quote
Today's Quote
Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
-Maurice Setter
Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
-Maurice Setter
Thought for Today
Thought for Today
Aldous Huxley
"Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him."
Aldous Huxley
"Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him."
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Thought for Today
Thought for Today
Irish Blessing
May you always have work for your hands to do,
May your pockets hold always a coin or two,
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane,
May the hand of a friend always be near you,
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
Irish Blessing
May you always have work for your hands to do,
May your pockets hold always a coin or two,
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane,
May the hand of a friend always be near you,
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
St. Pat's Day ... wishing you all things green...haha...
Happy St. Pat's Day to everyone.. here is what a friend of mine wrote about the day. JJ is the drummer for the band The Great Divide and he send this note...
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for thousands of years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Catholic season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. Over the next thirty-five years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-called "Irish Aid" societies, like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes (which actually first became popular in the Scottish and British armies) and drums.
Up until the mid-nineteenth century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to a million poor, uneducated, Catholic Irish began to pour into America to escape starvation. Despised for their religious beliefs and funny accents by the American Protestant majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even menial jobs. When Irish Americans in the country 's cities took to the streets on St. Patrick's Day to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys. However, the Irish soon began to realize that their great numbers endowed them with a political power that had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the "green machine," became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in America.
JJ
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Heather sends along this note.... Mom sells monster....
Mom Uses eBay To Sell Monster Under Child's Bed - Bidders Asked To Remove Monster From Girl's Room
PHILADELPHIA -- One of the duties of a parent is to make sure the monster under their child's bed is held at bay -- even when the monster
exists solely in that child's imagination. One local parent had a high-tech solution to the problem -- she has put the monster up for auction on eBay. Kathleen Tait had her daughter draw the monster under her bed and is selling the image on the online auction site, WCAU-TV in Philadelphia
reported. Tait's daughter said the monster would make her room a mess. Kathleen Tait said the whole thing began months ago, when her daughter
would wake up, afraid that the monster would get her and her toys. "To this day, I sleep with her," Tait said. "I lay down with her until she falls asleep."
Tait tried several ways to bait the monster, including peanut butter and jelly. Then, she hit upon eBay. Those who bid on the monster are asked to take it out of Tait's daughter's room. It is hoped that by selling the monster, it will be gone for good. There are five days left on the auction, and the bidding early Tuesday evening was $2.25. "People can sell pretzels, so why not a monster?" Tait said.
PHILADELPHIA -- One of the duties of a parent is to make sure the monster under their child's bed is held at bay -- even when the monster
exists solely in that child's imagination. One local parent had a high-tech solution to the problem -- she has put the monster up for auction on eBay. Kathleen Tait had her daughter draw the monster under her bed and is selling the image on the online auction site, WCAU-TV in Philadelphia
reported. Tait's daughter said the monster would make her room a mess. Kathleen Tait said the whole thing began months ago, when her daughter
would wake up, afraid that the monster would get her and her toys. "To this day, I sleep with her," Tait said. "I lay down with her until she falls asleep."
Tait tried several ways to bait the monster, including peanut butter and jelly. Then, she hit upon eBay. Those who bid on the monster are asked to take it out of Tait's daughter's room. It is hoped that by selling the monster, it will be gone for good. There are five days left on the auction, and the bidding early Tuesday evening was $2.25. "People can sell pretzels, so why not a monster?" Tait said.
Clipping of the Day
Clipping of the Day
Grinding the Faces of the Poor
From the New York Herald (New York, New York), 16 March 1870, page 5
Slow Progress of the Pension Payments--A System of Extortions that Aggregates Handsomely for the Pension Agents and Robs the Poor Widows.
Payment of pensions to widows of soldiers killed during the war, begun on the 4th instant in a basement room of the Custom House, is still daily continued under the direction of General Lawrence, Pension Agent. Thus far about 2,500 have been paid from the list of 6,000 whom General Lawrence has to pay. . . At the present rate of progress it will take about two weeks longer to get through the list. Too frequent description has been given in the Herald of the poverty-stricken appearance of the widows and mothers who put in their semi-annual appearance here for the pensions allowed them by the government on account of husbands and sons killed in the late war to render further description necessary. Wretchedness and poverty in their most pitiful phases stare one in the face, and stony hard is the heart that is not moved at the spectacle.
Paying these pensioners is not to be characterized as an act of humanity by the government. It is an act of duty, and most pitiful is the amount paid. And this is not all. The most unjust extortions, though made legal by Congressional enactment, accompany the payment. Every widow has to pay seventy cents, or rather this sum is deducted from the amount due her before she can get her pension. In the first place, twenty-five cents are exacted for making out the papers, and then fifteen cents each for three oaths respectively of two witnesses, and the one to whom the pension is to be paid. One woman came there yesterday from Forty-second street. She was told that she must bring two witnesses to swear that she has not remarried since her husband's death, on whose account the pension was claimed. It was a new arrangement, and the first she had heard of it. The result was that she had to hunt up her witnesses and pay two car fares each for them, besides her own riding, altogether putting her to an outlay of $1.12 before she got her pension. . .
Grinding the Faces of the Poor
From the New York Herald (New York, New York), 16 March 1870, page 5
Slow Progress of the Pension Payments--A System of Extortions that Aggregates Handsomely for the Pension Agents and Robs the Poor Widows.
Payment of pensions to widows of soldiers killed during the war, begun on the 4th instant in a basement room of the Custom House, is still daily continued under the direction of General Lawrence, Pension Agent. Thus far about 2,500 have been paid from the list of 6,000 whom General Lawrence has to pay. . . At the present rate of progress it will take about two weeks longer to get through the list. Too frequent description has been given in the Herald of the poverty-stricken appearance of the widows and mothers who put in their semi-annual appearance here for the pensions allowed them by the government on account of husbands and sons killed in the late war to render further description necessary. Wretchedness and poverty in their most pitiful phases stare one in the face, and stony hard is the heart that is not moved at the spectacle.
Paying these pensioners is not to be characterized as an act of humanity by the government. It is an act of duty, and most pitiful is the amount paid. And this is not all. The most unjust extortions, though made legal by Congressional enactment, accompany the payment. Every widow has to pay seventy cents, or rather this sum is deducted from the amount due her before she can get her pension. In the first place, twenty-five cents are exacted for making out the papers, and then fifteen cents each for three oaths respectively of two witnesses, and the one to whom the pension is to be paid. One woman came there yesterday from Forty-second street. She was told that she must bring two witnesses to swear that she has not remarried since her husband's death, on whose account the pension was claimed. It was a new arrangement, and the first she had heard of it. The result was that she had to hunt up her witnesses and pay two car fares each for them, besides her own riding, altogether putting her to an outlay of $1.12 before she got her pension. . .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)